


The stars in your eyes

by ItsMarcyGuys



Series: When stars align [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 23,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27977820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsMarcyGuys/pseuds/ItsMarcyGuys
Summary: Yuki Howaitorōzu was a transfer student from the village hidden in the stars, ordered by the Hoshikage to learn the ways of her ancestors. Thrown into the village hidden in the leaves, she gets put in team 7 and is claimed to be the strongest kunoichi of her age.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten, Uchiha Sasuke/Original Character(s), Uchiha Sasuke/Original Female Character(s), Uchiha Sasuke/Reader
Series: When stars align [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2049168
Kudos: 15





	1. When we met

**Author's Note:**

> I started something very similar a few years ago, but I hope it's less cringey now?? Kudos and comments are appreciated.

_'I'm glad I decided to get up early'_ Yuki thought as the wind pushed her long cyan hair behind her. She would never forgive herself if she managed to arrive late on the last day of the ninja academy. Even if it was her first day. Besides, who wouldn't want to watch people during their first day in Konoha?

She jumped from roof to roof, watching the citizens leave their house in the early hustle and bustle. She stopped and sat down atop one of the buildings, watching some ninjas run around. Yuki sat too high up for the people below to notice, and she swung her legs gently. Slowly becoming bored, she watched a raven-haired boy approach the wall she sat on and saw him lean on it. The lavender-eyed girl stood and decided to scare him. She gently tiptoed down the wall and faced him with a smile, effectively startling the boy. Her long silky hair framed their faces and created a shadow on their faces.

"Heya." She muttered, watching him grimace at her cheery appearance, "What's your name?" The boy grimaced and pushed her hair away.

"Usually the one asking introduces themselves first." He watched the teal haired girl jump down, "It's common curtesy."

"Oh, of course!" She stuck her hand out for him to shake, "I'm Howaitorōzu. Yuki Howaitorōzu. I'm new here." She gave him the best grin she could manage and waited for him to say his name back.

"Hn." he muttered softly, "Uchiha, Sasuke." The ravenette crossed his arms, not bothering to shake Yuki's hand. "You're new, but you're a ninja from the leaf?" Sasuke pointed at the forehead protector currently resting on her waist. 

"Oh, yes. You see, I'm from the village hidden in the stars, but my chakra is different from theirs." She shrugged nonchalantly and put her hand back down, "So they sent me to train here." The Uchiha seemed suspicious of her, but shrugged it off. "You're a ninja too, right? I just graduated." Yuki finally looked into his eyes and smiled a bit softer. The color of his eyes caused her to get a wave of nostalgia. They looked to be the same shade as the onyx pendant her parents gave to her. "I'm a genin."

"Me too." Sasuke replied boredly, getting ready to walk away.

"I guess we'll be seeing each other a lot more often then, huh?" She jumped up to the roof again and smirked at him, "See you in class!" The boy rolled his eyes and slowly made his way to the academy.


	2. The world didn't stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last day of school turns out to be more interesting than Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, or Yuki had imagined.

"I wanna sit with him!"

"In your dreams, Ino-pig!"

"Shut up billboard-brow!"

Rolling their eyes, the boys in the class sighed in annoyance. Of course on the last day of school, the girls would still be arguing over who would sit next to Sasuke. The Uchiha, however, seemed to be preoccupied getting lost in his thoughts.

Yuki stood by the door, watching the girls fight over the seat like it was the last drop of water in a desert. She raised a brow and watched from afar. A boy with striking yellow hair seemed to be glaring at the boy she had met only moments before. The girl walked closer as to get a better grasp as to what was happening, when a kid bumped his elbow on the blond, causing them to kiss.

The girls that were originally busy fighting over Sasuke froze and glared fiercely at the other boy. "Narutoooooo!" A girl with pink hair hissed before pulling him away, most likely to beat him up. Yuki took that opportunity to sit next the the ravenette and carefully folded her hands in front of her. The 'Sasuke fangirls', as the Hoshi citizen decided to name the group, froze once more. Ino walked up to her with a hand on her waist, "What do you think you're doing?" she spat

"Well, I WAS looking for a seat, but I saw this one was empty, so I took it." She smiled sweetly, "I presume there's no problem with that?" The fanclub fumed at her calm expression. The kid that Yuki heard was named 'Naruto' laughed at the angry girls.

"Look," The pinkette seemed to be seething, "I don't know who you think you are, but-"

Just then, Iruka-sensei walked in and yelled. "Alright, everybody find your seats!" The pink haired girl seemed to grumble something negative at Yuki, but sat down next to her anyways, and Naruto next to her. "On your last day of school," he began, "You are officially ninjas. So, you'll be put in groups of three. However, because we have a new student, it will make one team have four. I will call out the team numbers and the names, so pay attention."

As their teacher went down the list, Yuki thought about her home. The small village was _drastically_ different to what the leaf was like. The citizens were happier, even without being ninjas. Anyone who wasn't training to be a shinobi was frowned down upon and even deemed worthless by the Hoshikage. _'Every village is different, I suppose.'_ She thought, looking out of the window. _'I just wish people were nicer in the stars..'_

"Team seven will consist of 4 team members instead of 3." Yuki had begun to hear Iruka sensei after drifting off, "Team seven will consist of Haruno Sakura." The pink haired girl from before seemed to smile. "Uzumaki Naruto." Sakura groaned in defeat and Naruto jumped in excitement. "Uchiha Sasuke." This time, the two switched, with naruto groaning in defeat and Sakura jumping in joy. "And finally..." The entire room froze in anticipation. Who would get teamed up with _that_ ragtag team?

"Howaitorozu Yuki." 

"Huh? Who's that?" The whole class yelled. Sasuke turned to her and muttered, 

"Welcome to the team."

* * *

“Hey. You're Yuki, right?” Shikamaru asked with a bored expression. She nodded. "Choji wanted me to ask you if you wanted to have lunch with us." the boy pointed behind himself and at a rotund boy with brown, spiky hair and swirls on his cheeks.

“I'd love to eat with you guys.” she answered, giving him a small wave. The boy blushed and waved back.

The three of them headed out to where Ino was. They all pulled out their lunch and began to eat. “So Yuki," Ino asked, practically spitting at her, "how does it feel to be in the same team as Sasuke?”

“Oh, well.. I barely met him this morning, so I can't say much." She smiled sheepishly and shrugged, "And he doesn't seem like one to talk a lot-"

“Wait. Is that Naruto?" Choji interrupted, "What's he doing?” he pointed at the building across from them. Surely enough, the four of you looked to see Naruto sneaking his way to Sasuke. He jumped in through the window and tackled him.

“He better not lay a finger on Sasuke!” Ino threatened. There were some exaggerated sounds of pain and beating, then it went silent for a few seconds. Then Sasuke came out of the window. “Yeah! I knew Sasuke would beat that punk!”

Looking a little startled, Yuki handed over the rest of her lunch to Choji. "I have to help my teammate. Would you like to have the rest?” His eyes lit up and his mouth watered. "I made it myself. I hope you enjoy it!" 

“T-thank you!" he was surprised and made sure to make a mental note to have lunch with her more often. "It was fun having you. Come back and eat with us anytime you'd like!” Choji said.

Yuki jumped over to the other building and smiled at Choji, "Thank you!" she slipped in through the window where she had seen Sasuke eating previously. She expected to find a beat up Naruto, but saw a tied up Uchiha instead. "Sasuke? Did Naruto disguise himself as you?" She carefully removed his gag and pulled out one of her kunai. 

"Yes," he gasped out, "I can't believe I let that loser beat me." Yuki smiled softly at him and carefully cut him out of his binds.

"Maybe he's stronger than you think." 

"Hn." Sasuke stayed silent as she got him out. The purple eyed girl held out her hand for him, and the raven haired boy stared at it for a moment before taking it and standing up. "Now, to look for that loser." Sasuke went out the door with Yuki following close behind him. Sakura spotted the object of her dreams and ran towards him. When she saw Yuki, however, she frowned.

She talks about how they almost kissed and Sasuke denies all of that. "Where's Naruto?" he muttered.

“You wanna know why Naruto is so annoying?" Sakura completely ignored his question, "It's because he wasn't raised right. He has no parents to teach him right from wrong. That's why he's always bratty.” she stated. Yuki wanted to yell at the girl, but decided against it and began to bite her lip.

"You're wrong.." She muttered, too quiet for anyone to hear.

“You have no idea what is like having no parents.” Sasuke started walking away. “You're annoying.”

Sakura looked like her world had shatter in front of her. The cyan haired girl pat her shoulder gently and offered a sympathetic smile.

"Maybe you should start being nicer to Naruto.." She shrugged, "You could try and understand his situation a little better."

“You're right, Yuki. I'm going to start being nice to him. Then, Sasuke won't hate me anymore!” Sakura declared. The other girl's smile twitched. 

* * *

Naruto stood on a stool, carefully putting a chalk eraser on top of the door. Yuki and Sakura stared at him silently for a moment before the pinkette spoke up. "What are you doing?"

"This is what he gets for being late!" Naruto struggled to keep the eraser balanced on the door. Yuki snickered softly, ignoring the slight glare Sasuke was giving the two of them and instead watched Naruto stumble off of the stool.

"Our teacher is a Jounin. You think he'll fall for something like that?" The Uchiha grumbled from his seat.

Sakura nodded and crossed her arms. "Sasuke is right!" she frowned, "You're so clueless." 

In that moment, a man opened the door and the quartet watched him get hit by the eraser. Sasuke watched in subdued shock as Naruto laughed his butt off. 

"I'm so sorry, sensei! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen!" Sakura apologized, trying to hide the fact that she enjoyed every second of it.

"Looks like I got him!" Naruto said as soon as he finished laughing, "That's what you get for being late!"

"In his defense, sensei," Yuki spoke, folding her arms behind her back, "you _were_ late."

Kakashi picked up the eraser and looked at the four of them. "Hm.. how do I put this? My first impression of you guys..

"I hate you all."

* * *

The five of them sat on the roof of the academy. Yuki sat between Naruto and Sakura, to Naruto's displeasure, and Sakura next to Sasuke. The four of you waited for your sensei to speak. "Why don't you all introduce yourselves?" He suggested

"What are we supposed to day?" Sakura spoke up, shifting around a bit.

“Things you like, things you hate, hobbies, dreams for the future. Things like that.” He said.

“Why don't you go first, then?” Naruto demanded

“Alright. I'm Hatake Kakashi.." He crossed his arms in a pensive manner. "I don't feel like telling you my likes and dislikes... I have lots of hobbies..." He put a finger up to his chin. "And dreams for my future? ...Never really thought about it.” Kakashi stated.

“Well that was useless. All he ever told us was his name.” Sakura muttered under her breath, but the Jounin still heard her. He ignored the comment and continued.

“Who's next?”

“Me!" Naruto raised his hand and spoke excitedly, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like instant ramen in a cup and ramen that Iruka sensei buys for me. I hate that I have to wait for three minutes after you pour water in the ramen. My future dream is to be the greatest Hokage ever and for everyone to treat me with respect. Believe it!” he pumped his fist into the air.

"Alright, next."

"I'm Haruno Sakura and what I like is…" Sakura looked over at Sasuke and squealed "Umm.. I mean who I like is." She squealed and looked over again "My hobbies are uh…. My future dream is…” She wouldn't stop squealing and looking over at the boy next to her.

Kakashi seemed a little sheepish, "And what do you hate?"

"Naruto!" she yelled without missing a beat. The kid mentioned looked absolutely crushed. Yuki couldn't do anything but pat his shoulder and offer him a sympathetic look.

"Next please." The sensei muttered

“I'm Sasuke Uchiha and I hate a lot of things." Sasuke grumbled, "I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and kill a certain someone.” Naruto looked mortified, Sakura looked interested, Kakashi looked serious, and Yuki looked very sad. The blue-haired girl frowned and stared at the Uchiha with so much sadness that it practically radiated from her chakra. She understood what it was like to lose your family.

A gruff "Your turn" from Kakashi seemed to snap her back to reality.

"Oh, m-me?" Yuki looked a bit startled, finally tearing her eyes away from the ravenette. "Well, my name is Howaitorozu Yuki. I like to read and I like desserts!" her eyes seemed to light up at the mentioned sweets, "I hate fighting, despite being a ninja.." She fiddled with the end of her navy skirt and shrugged, "I guess that's sort of why I became one in the first place. My dream for the future is to become a sensei!" 

“I'm glad you're all unique in your own way. Tomorrow we start our mission.” Kakashi announced, standing up straighter from his originally casual pose.

“What kind of mission?” Yuki spoke quietly.

“It'll be a survival mission.”

“But we were already taught everything about survival back at the academy. That's why we're here!” Sakura argued.

“What do we need to survive?” Naruto asked, looking at his sensei curiously

Kakashi gave off an evil smile and chuckled at the gennin

"Why are you laughing? That was a normal question.” Sakura crossed her arms in anger

"If I tell you, you wouldn't like it~” Kakashi warned.

“Could you just tell us already?" Naruto seemed impatient.

Kakashi sighed, but obliged. “Out of the 28 students that graduated, only 10 will be accepted as genin. The rest of them will be sent back the the academy. There's a 66% chance of failing."

"There's a chance that we'll be sent back to the academy?” Sakura asked, looking almost as mortified as Naruto

“Told you, you wouldn't like it. I'll be the one who decides whether you pass out fail." He shrugged nonchalantly, "Bring your Ninja equipment and be there at the training ground at 5am” Kakashi said dismissing the four.

They all stood up, getting ready to leave.

“Oh and one more thing. Don't eat breakfast, or you're gonna throw up.” He warned, frightening the new graduates even further before poofing away.


	3. Nor did my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Survival exercises can be difficult, especially when it's 4 against one...
> 
> ...but not in the way you'd think

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I may or may not have used an actual shuriken throwing tutorial for this, so I guess you can use it as an idea as to what it's like.

"Good morning, everybody." Yuki yawned softly and rubbed her eyes. Her other three teammates mumbled something between a 'Morning' and 'Hi'. The four of them put their bags on the ground. She and Naruto sat, and waited...

and waited...

...and waited.

Finally, when the sun had risen and Naruto had fallen asleep, Yuki got tired of waiting around and stood up. She gently pat his head and spoke. "Hey.. why don't we train for a bit?" she suggested, stretching out her limbs.

"But what if we get too tired by the time Kakashi-sensei shows up?" Sakura yawned

"We can just do something easy, like target practice." Yuki pulled out a thin senbon needle from her leg pouch and watched a leaf fall from a tree. Before it hit the ground, however, she managed to strike right through the middle of it and stuck it to the bark. "It doesn't use chakra and it won't exhaust us!" Sasuke seemed to agree, pulling out a kunai and aiming it straight at a hole in a tree.

"Yuki's right!" Naruto jumped up quickly, suddenly awake, "Then I can show off my cool throwing skills!" He pointed at a thin branch. "You see that? I'm gonna cut it in half!" He grabbed a shuriken and tried aiming at his target, but missed completely.

Laughing, Sakura pointed at Naruto accusingly, "You're such a dope. I bet a child could probably throw better than _you_!"

"Now now," Yuki intervened, "he just needs to adjust his aim and stance, that's all. It was a good throw!" She stood closely behind him and gently adjusted his hips against her. Not noticing the blatant blush on Naruto's face, she spoke softly against his ear. "Grab another one. I'll help you!" Normally, the blond would have laughed and told her that he could do it by himself, but the girl's touch was nice to him. So, he couldn't do anything but oblige. "Now, move your leg back and tilt it to the side. Good. Make sure you can move fluidly." Yuki put her soft porcelain hand over his tan one and gently flicked his hand "Just throw gently and aim a little higher than your target. Okay?" Naruto nodded. "Good. Give it a try!" She gently moved away and watched him with a smile

Naruto took a deep breath and looked at the branch again. He stared with determination and flicked the shuriken like he was told and cut straight through it. "Wow, Yuki!" He gushed, "You're amazing! I didn't know you were so good with weapons!" The girl mentioned blushed softly and waved him away, embarrassed. 

"Yeah." Sasuke responded, shocking the three, "If you can teach _Naruto_ anything, you've gotta be something else." Sakura fumed at Yuki, but all she could do was blush even more and accept the somewhat back-handed compliment.

"He's right-" It took Naruto a moment to process that it was an insult to him before glaring at Sasuke, "Hey! You only complimented her to make fun of me!"

"Maybe I did. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yeah I've got a problem with that! I'll beat you up!" 

Before either one of them could make a move though, Kakashi appeared in front of the four. "Morning, everyone. Ready for your first day?"

"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei." Yuki nodded and smiled.

"Hey, you're LATE!" Naruto and Sakura yelled, amazed at the fact that their teammate could let their teacher go for making them wait for so long.

"Well, a black cat crossed my path," the jonin explained, "so I had to take the long way." Naruto groaned and Sasuke rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him. "Well," he continued, clearing his throat, "let's get started." He set down a clock on a stump of wood, "Here we go. It's set to noon. Your assignment is very simple." He held up three silver bells, "You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it. If you can't get them by noon, you will go without lunch, you'll be tied to those posts, and you'll watch me eat my lunch in front of you."

The four students groaned internally, _'So that's why he told us not to eat breakfast to make it harder on us!'_ Sakura looked surprised, "Wait a minute, there's four of us. How come there's only three bells?"

"So that way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission." Kakashi smiled. "That one goes back to the academy." Naruto seemed upset, grunting in anger, "Then again, all four of you could flunk out, too. You can use any weapons including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

"Those weapons are too dangerous, sensei!" Sakura cried

Naruto laughed, "Especially since you couldn't dodge that eraser!" Yuki giggled.

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links." Kakashi warned, "You can safely ignore them. Lowest scores. Losers. When I say start, you can begin." Yuki tried to raise her hand to ask a question, but Naruto decided it would be a good idea to try and attack his teacher, instead. He ended up with a kunai aimed right behind his head. His other three teammates looked at the two in shock, "Don't be in such a hurry. I didn't say start yet." The boy grunted in an attempt to break free.

_'He's so fast, I didn't even see him!'_ Sakura thought with wide eyes.

_'So this_ is _a jonin.'_ Saskuke narrowed his eyes at them

Yuki stared for a moment before looking away and at the leaf she had stuck to a tree _'I hope I become as fast as him someday..'_

Kakashi pushed him away and spoke, "But, you did come at me with the full intent of destroying me. So, how could I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys." The four waited him to start. "Get ready. And... _start._ "


	4. Strum like a harp

"Ninja must know how to conceal their movements and hide effectively." Kakashi stood in the middle of the field. Sasuke hid between some trees, Sakura in a bush, and Yuki behind a rock. "Well, they understand that much. They've hidden well- ...huh?" He looked up to see Naruto standing proudly with his arms crossed. 

"You and me!" He yelled, "Right now, fair and square! Let's go!" His teacher looked at him, confused.

"You know, compared to the others, you're a little bit weird." 

_'Naruto!'_ Yuki yelled in her mind, _'What do you think you're doing?! Hide!'_

"Oh yeah?" He mocked, "The only thing weird here is your haircut!" He ran towards his target as fast as he could. Kakashi seem to pull something out of his pouch, so Naruto pulled away. 

"Shinobi battle techniques, part one. Taijutsu: the physical art." Despite mentioning physical combat, he seemed to pull something out of his pouch.

Yuki watched closely and saw him reading a peach colored book that seemed very familiar to her. He face heated up with embarrassment. _'What's he doing reading a book like that in front of us?!'_

Looking up from his book, Kakashi looked at Naruto, "What are you waiting for? Make your move."

"But, I mean-" Naruto stuttered, "Why are you reading that book?"

"Why?" The jonin scoffed, "To find out what happens in the story, of course. Don't let it bother you." He shrugged and looked back at his book, "With your weak attacks, it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or.. whatever."

Naruto yelled and ran towards him again, "I'm going to crush you!" Every attack he tried to aim at Kakashi was blocked or dodged. In the end, the blond ended up in the lake. Yuki ran towards him, silently whispering,

_"Water style: water bubble jutsu!"_ Her eyes turned blue as she gently blew on her palms. A bubble of water appeared around her and allowed some air inside for her to breathe. She jumped into the river and looked at Naruto. "What were you thinking?" She whispered, blowing another bubble so they could talk. Gently setting it on Naruto's head, her eyes turned purple again as he took a deep breath.

"I'm not gonna let it end like this! I'll attack from the water!" He threw to shuriken just like the girl in front of him had taught. Their sensei effortlessly caught both in his fingers. "Damn it!" he swore before an idea popped into his head. "Hey, do you think you could make a couple more of these bubbles?" 

* * *

After being underwater for a couple of minutes too long, Naruto emerged, panting and gasping for breath as if he hadn't been breathing before. Kakashi stood in front of the river. "What are you doing now? You know, you won't get lunch unless you take a bell by noon."

"I know, I know! You told us already!"

"You look pretty wobbly for someone who'd going to surpass the Hokage."

Looking at the bells in anger, Naruto yelled "You told us not to eat breakfast! How can I fight when I'm starving to death?!" While they spoke, Yuki quietly emerged from the water and looked for a tree to stay hidden. She was lucky her stomach's growl wasn't loud enough for anybody to hear. "So you caught me off guard. That's all it was, believe it!" Kakashi walked away from the starving kid, "I'm so hungry I don't have any strength, but I can't let that stop me!" The lavender eyed girl jumped up to a branch next to Sasuke.

"Why are you all wet?" He whispered, eyeing her up and down. Yuki just smiled and put a finger up to her lips, pointing at Naruto. He rolled his eyes, but looked over anyways. The lake began to create waves behind Naruto.

"I _will_ become a ninja!" Shadow clones of the gennin jumped from the lake and their water bubbles popped in the air, "You're overconfident, sensei! That's why you weren't ready for a shadow clone attack; my best jutsu!" The clones ran towards Kakashi.

"You won't beat me with this jutsu." He claimed. What he hadn't noticed, however, was another clone sneaking up behind him. 

Sasuke stared down in shock and Yuki gently bumped his arm. "Not bad, huh?" She whispered. The boy just looked away with a small blush and huffed.

"I could do better." He muttered back.

"Show me, then." Sasuke looked at her a bit surprised. "Don't look at me like that," She giggled softly, "Show me what you can do when Naruto is done." He nodded and looked back at Naruto. The real one was aiming an attack. He landed a punch to... himself?

"Huh?" In order to find Kakashi-sensei, he decided to punch himself until the real one revealed himself. Yuki groaned and looked at the boy next to her with a sad smile.

"Well, it won't be very hard to beat that." He rolled his eyes. When Naruto finally figured out that he should undo the jutsu instead, he poofed all of his clones away to reveal an empty field. Kakashi got him with a replacement jutsu. They watched him as he went for obvious bait and hung upside down, and even when Kakshi berated him for it.

Yuki shook her head, "We need to do something!"

"This is my chance!" Sasuke whispered, "He's finally let down his guard!" Seeing where he was going, the cyanette grabbed a couple of her needles while Sasuke grabbed his knives. "Now!" They both threw them in his direction and aimed perfectly. Naruto yelled something at them, but neither of them listened.

"Sasuke!" Yuki whisper-yelled at him, "Why did you do that? I was just aiming at some weak spots!" He grunted and watched as Kakashi turned into a log. "A substitution. We have to split!" They both jumped away and ran. Sakura ran after Sasuke and Yuki ran after Naruto. He managed to get caught in _another_ trap. "Calm down, I'm going to cut you down!"

"I fell for it again!" He flailed around and she had to grab his face to still him. They looked into each other's eyes before Yuki spoke.

"You did good. Let's try again, okay? You almost had him!" Naruto blushed and nodded, letting her cut him down. A loud scream echoed through the forest. "Go find Sakura. I'll go find Sasuke and see if he needs help." He nodded again and they both split up. It didn't take very long for her to find Sasuke, so she watched from the trees as he faced away from Kakashi.

"Shinobi battle tactic number two: the illusion jutsu." He had his book pulled out again, "Sakura studied it in class, but she still couldn't see it coming."

Turning her head to the direction she had heard the scream before, Yuki sweatdropped. _'She fell for something like a simple mind control genjutsu?'_

"I'm not like Sakura and Naruto."

"Say that _after_ you get one of these bells." He continued reading his book. " _'My Sasuke~'_ Heheh" They both turned to face each other. Sasuke quickly threw some shuriken and Kakashi easily dodged. "There's no point using normal attacks-" The three of them heard a rope snap. "Huh? A trap?" A barage of knives was aimed at him, which he also dodged. Before he could react, Sasuke threw a kick at his head. Kakashi barely managed to block every type of blow thrown at him. While he was distracted by the attacks, Sasuke managed to lightly graze one of the bells with his hand before being thrown.

Yuki kept her guard up, getting ready to throw another bubble at Sasuke if he got in trouble. "Well, you are different from the other two," Their sensei spoke, "I'll grant you that." Sasuke grunted and made a couple of hand signs.

_'Fire style: Fireball jutsu!"_

"What?!" Kakashi seemed taken aback, "Genin can't do fire jutsu, it takes up too much chakra! There's no way." Sasuke blew and fire cam out, completely burning his target. The fire dispersed and showed no one in sight. 

The jonin emerged from the ground and grabbed his ankle, pulling him down into the ground. "Sasuke!" Yuki yelled from the trees and blew a bubble to protect him with. The only part that she managed to cover was his upper torso.

"Huh?" The teacher and student gasped. Kakashi tried pulling him under even further, but the bubble wouldn't let him. 

"I've got.. to stay.. focused!" Yuki kept the symbol of the ox. Their sensei finally let go and looked at the direction in which the bubble emerged.

"There you are.." The girl jumped and stood in front of Sasuke. "Ninjutsu. The third shinobi battle skill." Panting from the excessive use of chakra, Yuki stood in an attack position with a needle in hand. 

Catching her breath, she stared at Kakashi, "It's my turn." 

"You used too much chakra." He pointed at Sasuke's wet upper torso where the bubble popped, "Is that how Naruto managed to stay underwater for so long?" She nodded. "That's not bad." 

"Thank you, sensei." She nodded, "But you're right. I used too much chakra. I think it's time we fight the old fashioned way. Am I right?"

Kakashi rubbed his neck sheepishly, "Actually, there's something I need to take care of. Do you mind if we hit pause for a second?"

Confused, Yuki simply nodded, "U-uh.. sure?"

"Thank you." He jumped away, leaving a confused pair of students. The purple eyed girl took it as an opportunity to try and get Sasuke out.

"Give me your hand!" He obliged and she pulled hard. Falling backwards, Yuki sighed. "You're really stuck in there- huh?" They both turned to a rustling in the bushes. Saukura ran out and paused in front of them.

"Sakura?" Sasuke muttered

"AAAAH!" Sakura yelled, "SASUKE'S JUST A TORSO AND HE'S TALKING!" Before Yuki could explain that, no, the boy hadn't gotten his legs chopped off, she passed out. 

"And that's my partner." He muttered with a sigh.

The other girl just smiled and looked at her. "I guess that genjutsu must have been something else.. I don't have much chakra, but I think I can try and soften the ground.." She slammed her palms against the ground and tried to focus her energy on softening the ground. Sasuke turned over to look at her and noticed that her eyes had turned brown. Panting, she slowly felt weaker and weaker. "I've got.. to get you out..!"

"Stop." He muttered, "We just have to wait until the jutsu wears off." 

"I've still got to try!" She yelled into the ground, instead now focusing on pushing the ground under him up. Slowly but surely, Sasuke was pushed out and clean. "I.. d-did it!" With a sigh, she passed out just like her comrade.

He scoffed and smirked, "Stubborn." Making sure not to wake Yuki up, he moved her over next to Sakura and waited for them to wake up. Sakura slowly stirred and opened her eyes.

"Sasuke.. You're okay!" She jumped on top of him in a hug, ignoring his obvious attempts to break free. When he finally pulled away, he scooped up Yuki and held her in his arms.

"I've got to get one of those bells before lunch. If I leave Yuki out here, she'll get attacked." He started to walk away. "I don't have much time."

Sakura stood up. "Sasuke, are you still trying to get one of those bells?" 

"A while ago, I touched one. Next time, I'll get one."

She gasped, "That is really great, I can't believe you did that, you're amazing!" To anybody else, it would've sounded like she was patronizing him. "Uh.. it's almost lunch. There's not really enough time left, so.. maybe we should just give up and then try again next year!"

Sasuke groaned in anger, faced her, then looked away. "I'm the only one who can destroy that person.."

"Huh? Who? Kakashi sensei?"

"That day," the ravenette continued, "I was crying. It was my.."

"What? What happened to you?" In his arms, Yuki cried silently in her sleep. She dreamed of a similar night Sasuke spoke of. The death of her parents.

Looking down at the girl in his arms, he spoke again, feeling her sadness radiate from her body. "I am an avenger. That means I must be stronger than my prey. I need this training, there's no time for setbacks." In the distance, the bell rang for noon. "Ugh. I've wasted too much time." He ran to the bell with Sakura running close behind him. 

* * *

Yuki was still asleep when the four gathered back at the stumps. Naruto was tied up and they were all starving. Kakashi looked down at them, "What happened to her?" He pointed at the sleeping girl.

"Chakra depletion." Sasuke muttered, "Pushed herself too hard."

"That's too bad. Oh, by the way, about this exercise? Well, I've decided I won't send any of you back to the academy." Naruto cheered happily

Confused, Sakura stared at Kakashi. "What? I passed? All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that?"

"Hn" Sasuke smirked and looked over at Yuki. She stirred slowly and yawned,

"What happened? Did we fail?" Sakura cheered and Naruto shook his head excitedly.

"Then- then that means all four of us- I mean, all four of us?"

"No." Kakashi smiled, "Only three of you are being dropped from the program. _Permanently_."

The four of them froze. "Drop us from the program?!" Naruto yelled, kicked, and flailed around from his spot on the post. "You said if we couldn't take the bells, we'd be sent back to the academy. You can't just change your mind and kick three of us out! Why would you do that?!" 

The jonin rolled his eyes, "Because you don't think like ninja. You think like little kids, like brats." Sasuke grunted and ran at Kakashi, ready to attack.

"Sasuke, stop!" Yuki yelled weakly, still exhausted from the depletion. He ended up under Kakashi, stepping on his head.

"You think it's all about you."

"Let go of Sasuke!" Sakura yelled, tears coming out of her eyes, "You can't just step on him like he's a bug."

Yuki looked at her teammate sadly. "But he can.. He's so much stronger than us." Tears welled up in her eyes, "He's right. We're just a bunch of little kids.." Sasuke grunted in pain.

"You don't know what it means to be ninja." Kakashi claimed, "You think it's a game, huh? Why do you think we put you on squads? Did you consider that question for one moment?"

"Uh, I don't know what you mean?" Sakura stared at him

"I _mean,_ you never realized what this exercise is all about. Only one of you nailed it just right." Kakashi glared at them

Naruto groaned in annoyance, "What it's about?" 

"Yes, that's what determines wether you pass or fail."

Sakura frowned, "But that's, I mean, I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning."

He tsked, "Use your head. Four people on a squad. Why do you think we would do that?"

The blond yelled, "Ah! How are we supposed to know why you picked four people? We didn't make the rules!"

"Teamwork." Yuki whispered, "It's teamwork, Naruto.."

"Exactly." Kakashi rolled his eyes again, "It's so basic."

The other three looked confused, "Just working together?" Sakura gasped, "Is that what you mean?"

"That's what I mean. It's too late now. But if all four of you had come at me, you might have been able to take them." He sat up straighter, "Well, anyway, it's over."

_'Wait a minute..'_ The pinketted stared at the bells. "You set it up with four people but only three bells. If we worked together and got the bells, only three of us could keep them, and that would lead to group conflict, and the squad would break up!"

"Exactly." Kakashi said, "I purposely pitted you against each other." The four of them looked disgruntled. "I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves. A genin should have a natural feel for teamwork. But you." He stepped on Sasuke's head harder, "It never even crossed your mind.

"Sakura." The girl mentioned gasped, "You were obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone, while Naruto was right in front of you, and you wouldn't lift a finger to help him.

"Naruto." He grunted, "You do everything on your own. Everything. You only let Yuki help you because it benefitted you.

"And you, Sasuke." He groaned. "Thought the other three were so far beneath you they were worthless. Arrogance. Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course, you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this. That's why only one of you is passing. 

"Yuki." She wiped her tears away, "You helped Naruto fulfill his plan by helping him and his shadow clones stay underwater. You even cut him down while I was gone. You helped Sasuke by attacking me, protecting him when he was in danger, and even allowed yourself to run out of chakra to help him. You helped Sakura by asking Naruto to find her, and he _would_ _have,_ if he wasn't selfish enough to keep all of the food for himself. That's why I had to go when we were going to fight. 

"When individuals put themselves above the squad, it leads to failure and death. For example," He pulled out a kunai and held it against Sasuke's throat. "Sakura. Kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies." The four of them gasped, "That's what happens on a mission." Sasuke looked away in shame and Yuki simply stared at them.

"Oh boy, that was really scary." Sakura and Naruto sighed.

"The enemy takes a hostage and we've got to chose.." The cyanette muttered, "Someone always ends up dead."

Kakashi nodded, "On every mission, your life is on the line." He got off of his student and walked away.

* * *

Two of the four ate their lunch in silence. Naruto stayed tied up and Yuki just stared at her box. "Aren't you going to eat something?" Sakura asked.

"No. I lost my appetite." She put her box down on the grass. "I know I passed, but I can't help but feel like a failure.."

"Huh? Why?"

"I should have done more to help you guys." Yuki looked up at the sky, "I should have asked you to work together. We _should have_ worked together..-" Before she could continue, Naruto's stomach growled loudly.

He yelled, shaking his head, "This is no big deal! I can go without eating for days, for weeks!" Yuki looked down at her bento box, "Believe it, this is no big deal!" His stomach growled again as he sighed out a "no problem"

"Here." Sasuke muttered boredly, offering his lunch to Naruto. He and Sakura gasped.

"What? No Sasuke, you can't do that!" She looked around, expecting Kakashi to pop out. "You heard what the sensei said."

"Kakashi's gone." He replied, "We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry, he'll be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission." Sakura looked down at her lunch

Yuki spoke up softly, "Sakura's right. Don't give up your food.." He looked at her with narrowed eyes. "I'll do it. That way, if he appears, I'll be the only one who fails."

"What?" The pinkette stared at her in disbelief, "You'd do that for us?"

"Of course." She smiled softly, "Besides, I'm used to skipping breakfast, so I'm not that hungry. Just keep a lookout for me, okay?" Sasuke smirked at stood up. "Here you go, Naruto." She gently picked up the chopsticks and fed him. "I don't sense him, but hurry in case-"

A large gust of wind and smoke pushed them, and from it emerged an angry-looking Kakashi. "You!" He yelled, making the four of them gasp in shock and fear, "You broke the rules. I hope you're ready for punishment." Yuki nodded sadly and stood up in front of him. He did a couple of hand signs and clouds gathered, lightning emerged from them, and the ground shook violently. "Any last words?"

Before she could reply, Naruto spoke. "But you said-"

"Yes?" 

"You said there were four of us!" he yelled, flailing around, "That's what you said, and that's why Yuki.."

Sasuke grunted, "We're all on this squad and we're all in it together." 

"Yeah, that's right!" Sakura stood up, "She gave her lunch to him because the four of us are one!"

"Yeah yeah yeah yeah! Believe it! That's right!" Yuki looked at them with a sad smile, 

"Guys.."

Kakashi seemed infuriated, " 'the four of you are one'? That's your excuse?" The four of them kept their guard up, ready to fight. "Hm. You pass."


	5. Because falling in love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah! They passed! But... now what?

"Sasuke, I'm a point B."

"Sakura, I'm at point C."

"Yuki, at point D."

"Naruto. I'm at point A, believe it."

"Go slow, Naruto." Kakashi spoke from his walkie-talkie, "Okay, squad seven.. Hm? The target has moved! Follow it!" Leaves rustled as the target jumped away. Squad seven stood behind the trees and watched carefully. 

Naruto ran towards another tree and whispered, "Over there!" The rest of the team followed suit, hiding with him.

Kakashi spoke quietly, "What's your distance from the target?"

"Five meters." He looked over at the bush the target hid in. "I'm ready, just give the signal." his teammates agreed. They were ready.

"Okay... _Now!_ " Team seven jumped and grabbed the target.

A brown cat with a bow on its ear tried to escape from Naruto's grip, scratching and meowing. "I got him, I got him!"

"Can you verify ribbon, right ear?" Kakashi stared at the scene from afar. Yuki gently tore the cat away from Naruto and gently pet the cat, putting it to sleep.

Sasuke looked over at the sleeping animal, "Affirmative, we got a positive ID."

"Right. Lost pet Torah, captured. Mission accomplished."

"Can't we get a better mission than this?!" Naurto yelled into his device, "I hate cats!"

"Shh!" Yuki murmured, "You'll wake him up. Isn't he a cutie?"

Nodding in agreement, Sakura hummed. "I wonder why he ran away." Team seven walked back to the academy and handed over the cat to his owner. The large woman practically suffocated the cat, making them all sweatdrop. "Well, that explains it."

Naruto laughed, "Stupid cat! That kitty deserves to be squashed!" 

The third hokage looked down at some papers and addressed the squad. "Now then, for squad 7's next mission, we have several available tasks." Yuki stared off into the distance. She was bored out of her mind, but too polite to say so. _'These missions are so easy.'_ She thought, _'How am I supposed to report back to the hoshikage when we aren't doing anything?'_

"No!" Naruto groaned, making the rest of his team look at him in shock. "I want to go on a real mission! Something challenging and exciting, not this little kid stuff! Come on, old man!"

_'He's got a point'_ Sasuke thought

Sakura gave him an angry look, _'but he's such a pain!'_

Sighing, Kakashi thought, _'I knew this was coming.'_

"How dare you?!" Iruka sensei yelled at his former student, "You're just a brand new genin with no experience! Like everyone else, you start with simple missions to develop your skills and prove yourself!"

Naruto scoffed, "Are you serious? Babysitting is not a mission! It's just a stupid- AH!" Kakashi hit him right on the head before he could continue talking.

"Will you put a lid on it?" He complained. While the third hokage lectured the blond, Yuki started thinking of ways to sway him into giving them a higher-ranked mission. 

Instead of listening to what his superior was saying, Naruto started talking about lunch. "So I had this tonkotsu ramen yesterday, and I'm thinking about miso ramen today.-"

"Silence!" The hokage scolded. 

Kakashi and Yuki apologized, the latter bowing down. 

"Ahh!" Naruto put his hands on his knees, "Stop scolding me like you're my grandpa! I'm a ninja now, and I want a ninja mission!"

"With all due respect, lord hokage," Yuki spoke softly, "I was sent here to complete a mission. How am I supposed to report back effectively when all we do it run errands?" The rest of her team looked at her, confused. _'Mission?'_ Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes at her.

Sarutobi looked down for a moment, then spoke. "So be it." The three gasped and Yuki simply smiled. "Since you are so determined, I'm going to give you a C-rank mission. You'll be bodyguards on a journey."

"Really?" Naruto jumped up excitedly, "Yes! Who? Who? Are we guarding a princess? Or some counselor?"

The hokage smirked, "Don't be so impatient. I will bring him in now. Send in our visitor."

Team seven looked back at the door behind them. The door slid open and revealed an old drunken man. "What the-? A bunch of little snot-nosed kids?" He took a big drink out of his bottle. The five stared at him. "And you, the little one with the idiotic look on his face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

Naruto laughed, "Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his-"

The four genin checked their height, making Yuki the shortest one. "M-me?" She looked sad for a moment. 

"He said 'he'." Sasuke muttered, "He's talking about Naruto."

* * *

Team seven and Tazuna walked on the path through the forest. Sakura spoke up and talked with Kakashi. Yuki tuned them out and looked around. _'It's a beautiful day.'_ She decided to take the time and do some training. She focused her chakra on the water around her, making her eyes blue. "I've been meaning to ask you." Sasuke muttered from in front of her. "That day, on the survival mission. When you tried to get me out, your eyes turned brown."

"Oh? I hadn't noticed." She shrugged and stopped controlling her energy, making her eyes purple again. "It's my kekkei genkai. My eyes change color according to the chakra nature I'm trying to control. It helps completely focus my energy."

"Hn." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "And what about your 'mission'."

Looking up at the sky, Yuki considered wether or not to tell him. "Well, as I've told you before, my village is the land hidden in the stars. Hoshigakure." She pointed at the grey star shape on her black bandeau top. Her fishnet crop didn't seem to obscure it. "It's in the land of bears. Our villages made a treaty allowing me to come and study here, since the chakra type of my village is different to mine."

"Different?"

Before Yuki could continue, Kakashi-sensei spoke in an accusatory tone. "You two just doubted lord hokage, didn't you?" Sakura and Naruto shook their heads quickly. "Well anyway, there are no ninja battles on a c-ranked mission, so you can relax."

Sakura smiled, "And we're not going to run into any foreign enemy ninja or anything like that!"

"Not likely." He chuckled. Sasuke looked back at them. They all stayed silent as they continued walking. As they passed, Yuki spotted a puddle of water.

"Kakashi-sensei?" She pointed at the puddle. Her teacher simply raised his finger to his lips. Nodding, she slowly pulled out a kunai. Sasuke glanced over at Yuki's tensed stance, but simply shrugged her off. As they walked, two ninja appeared from the puddle. "There!" She yelled, throwing her knife and scrapping one's arm. Ignoring it, they used their chains to wrap around Kakashi's body, trapping him in place.

"Huh?"

"What?" The two ninjas pulled on their chains and ripped apart Team seven's jonin. The genin watched in shock as the pieces of their sensei fell down. Suddenly appearing behind Naruto, the foreign ninja chuckled.

"Now, it's your turn!" They got ready to attack the blond, aiming their chains right at him. Sasuke jumped and struck his kunai against the chains, sticking them to a tree. "I can't get loose!" One complained, tugging his arm.

Yuki bit her lip, "Sakura, quickly! We have to protect Mr. Tazuna! Sasuke can handle this." Sakura nodded and jumped behind their client, Yuki on the front. The two ninja from before ran towards her. "Stay behind me." She muttered to the man behind her. Quickly thowing up hand-signs, Yuki focused her chakra to make her bubble and her eyes turned blue. It encompassed Tazuna and she quickly grabbed one of her kunai. Before the ninja could strike her, Sasuke ran in front of her. Kakashi appeared and quickly knocked out the two attackers. 

"Hi." He smiled, as if nothing had happened. _'Show off.'_ Sasuke thought. He hadn't noticed Yuki staring at him. _'Sasuke..'_ She let the bubble jutsu go and Tazune complained about being wet.

"But he was-" Naruto looked back to where Kakashi had been torn into pieces. In his place sat a bundle of small wooden trunks. "Kakashi-sensei used the replacement jutsu!"

The man mentioned looked back at his student, "Naruto, sorry I didn't help you right away. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I just didn't think you'd freeze up like that." He turned around and started walking. He faced his other three students. "Good job, Sasuke. Very smooth. Sakura, good job cooperating. Yuki, smart thinking. That jutsu is very useful."

"Hey." Sasuke looked back at Naruto. "You're not hurt, are you? Scaredy-cat." he muttered condescendingly.

"Sasuke!" Yuki and Naruto yelled.

"Naruto." Kakashi held the ninja in his arms. "Don't move, these ninja have poison in their claws. We need to take it out of you quickly." Naruto started to panic, looking down at his injured and bloody hand. "You have to open the wound and remove it. It's in your blood, so don't move around. That spreads the poison. By the way, Mr. Tazuna." The man looked startled, "..we need to talk."


	6. Doesn't come like a slap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team seven continues on their track to protect the master bridge builder, despite the obvious risk of an assassin. I hope everyone comes out alive..

A small boat traveled through the mist, rowing forwards through it. Yuki closed her eyes and analyzed the mist with her chakra. She sensed no one around but them and smiled. She opened her eyes again. "The fog is wonderful, isn't it?" Her teammates looked at her curiously "It makes it hard for intruders to get in. Anyone without knowledge of the water would get lost.."

The man rowing the boat nodded. "We're approaching the shore." He looked down at his fellow citizen. "Tazuna, we've been very fortunate no one has noticed us so far."

"Nice going." He replied. The boat traveled through a stone tunnel and emerged to a village filled with houses and small shops. They got dropped off on a wooden port and continued on their way. Team seven walked through a forest. _'Ugh!'_ Naruto though, _'I'm not letting Sasuke get all the glory this time! Believe it!'_ He ran ahead of the group and looked around. "There!" He threw a kunai at a bush and smirked. "Hm. It was just a mouse." Yuki sweatdropped, already knowing he was going to get in trouble for it. As if on cue, Sakura started to yell at him and was accompanied by Kakashi's warning on the dangers of ninja knives. Ignoring them, he looked to his right, "Over there?" He looked to his left, "No! Over there!" He turned around completely and threw another kunai. "There!"

Sakura bonked him on the head and yelled again. Yuki ran up to the two, trying to hold her back. "Come on, Sakura. Give him a break, he's just trying to help! Besides, I heard something, too!" Kakashi looked behind the bushes and saw a petrified white bunny, ducking under the kunai stuck to the tree. 

"Oh, I'm sorry little bunny! I'm sorry!" Naruto cried, practically smothering the poor thing. His blue haired teammate ran up and tried to calm him down, saying that the bunny was okay, just scared. 

While being preoccupied with that, their sensei yelled. "Look out!" Team seven and their client ducked, a giant sword emerging from the trees and sticking to the trunk of another. A man stood on the handle, facing away from them. "Well well, if it isn't-"

"Zabuza Momochi.." Yuki stuttered. She felt tears well up in her eyes. "Rogue ninja from the village hidden in the mist." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto try to engage him. She grabbed the back of his shirt and stopped him, "Naruto, don't."

"Get back," Kakashi agreed, holding out a hand so that neither of them would pass through

"But why?" Naruto looked at his teacher in confusion

"Just _stay away from him!_ " Yuki cried, surprising the rest of her team. _'She's never yelled at anyone like this before..'_ Sasuke thought. 

Intrigued, Zabuza looked behind him. "You're that girl. From the stars, aren't you." His composure stayed the same. The girl he spoke to started to shake even more. 

"K-Kakashi-sensei.." she muttered, begging for him to do something.

He grabbed his headband, "If he's our opponent, I'll need this. This could be treacherous."

Zabuza changed his focus from the genin to the jonin. While they spoke, Yuki's mind began to spin; flashes of her parents' warm smiles went through her mind, immediately accompanied by their blood staining her clothes. _'No,'_ she begged to no one in particular. _'This can't be happening, not now. Not during a mission!-'_ Not even Sasuke's voice could snap her out of her thoughts. 

It wasn't until a thick fog started to surround them that Yuki finally began to pay attention to what was happening around her. "Enough talking." Zabuza looked ready to attack, "I need to exterminate the old man. Now." Team seven's genin quickly jumped to protect Tazuna. Still shaking, Yuki linked her pinky with Sasuke's in fear. He looked over at their intertwined fingers and said nothing.

"Over there!" Naruto looked over at a nearby lake

"He's standing on the water!" Sakura said.

_"Ninja art:"_ water engulfed Zabuza, _"Hidden mist jutsu!"_ The fog grew thicker. The blue haired girl closed her eyes and tried to sense his chakra, but it was scattered. 

Naruto looked around, "The mist is getting thicker and thicker!" Kakashi slowly disappeared from their field of view, causing them to panic. Their teacher did a few hand signs. The sheer power of his chakra was enough to push the humidity away. Within her grasp, Yuki felt Sasuke begin to tremble. 

"Sasuke, Yuki!" He called out, "Calm down. I'll protect you with my life. All of you. I will not allow my comrades to die." His student sensed some heaviness to his words, "Trust me." His words were enough to give Yuki some confidence. She fully grabbed Sasuke's hand and smiled at him. 

"I wouldn't be so sure." Zabuza suddenly appeared between the wall team seven had created. "It's over."


	7. It comes like a wave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The presence of Zabuza Momochi awakens ancient and hidden memories from within Yuki. She better keep her PTSD in check before she manages to ruin everything..

Before Zabuza could get an opportunity to kill the bridge builder, Kakashi stabbed him in the stomach with a kunai. Water dripped down from the wound as the real Momochi appeared behind him. The clone made a splash, giving Zabuza enough time to slice the jonin in half. The fake Kakashi exploded into drops of water. The real one held a kunai against his opponent's neck. "Don't move. Now it's over. You're finished!" Sakura and Naruto began to cheer, but Yuki couldn't shake a feeling in her gut. _'Something's wrong..'_ she thought.

Zabuza began to laugh a dark, evil chuckle that shook the girl to her core. "Finished?" He mocked, oddly calm for the situation he was in. "You really don't get it, do you?"

Yuki drowned out his speech as more memories of her birthday flooded her senses. The sight of her mother reaching out to protect her, looking up at her child with white, lifeless eyes. Her own eyes began to gloss over and go grey, a sudden feeling of helplessness ran through her body. Sasuke turned over to look at her. The look of utter lifelessness shocked him as he ran to her side. "Yuki?" he muttered, examining her face. He gently tapped her cheeks, a weak attempt to snap her out of whatever stupor his teammate locked into. He put a hand on her shoulder and made a hand sign. "Release." With a short, exhausted gasp, Yuki awoke from a genjutsu from her own making. 

"What happened?" She looked around only to see Kakashi trapped in a sphere or water. "Sensei!" A swift kick to Naruto's stomach tore their attention away from their teacher to their comrade. 

"Listen," Kakashi managed to speak clearly from his prison of water, "get the bridge builder out of here and run! You can't win this fight!"

As much as Yuki wanted to agree, that wasn't choice. It was as clear as the frown on Sasuke's face. "We've got to do it." He spoke, running towards Zabuza. 

Yuki turned to her kunoichi teammate. "Sakura, protect the bridge builder. We've got to fight. Naruto, come on."

The blond stared at Zabuza with a smirk. Yuki smiled at his confidence. "Sasuke, Naruto, I've got a plan."

"So you've finally decided to use _that_ weapon, huh?" Sasuke teased, causing a soft blush to appear on her face. Sakura watched from afar, her own face heating up, but for a different reason. _'Cha!'_ she yelled in her mind, _'Yuki's managing to get Sasuke to talk! I won't stand for it!'_

With a simple nod towards Zabuza from Yuki, Naruto grinned. "Alright! Shadow clone jutsu!" They jumped on top of Zabuza but he quickly pushed them away. Luckily for them, the clones were just a diversion. He threw a giant shuriken and tossed it to Sasuke.

A knowing look crossed his features. _"Demon wind shuriken: windmill of shadows!"_

Yuki hyped herself up and made some hand signs that were unfamiliar to the people around her. Her eyes went red as she whispered _"Fire style: fire flower jutsu!"_ She took a deep breath, focusing her chakra on the palm of her hand. A couple of small, lotus-shaped flowers made of fire appeared. As she threw them at the water clone, Sasuke threw his shuriken and aimed it straight at the real Zabuza. 

"Smart. But now smart enough." He mocked, catching it with his hand. Unbeknownst to him, however, was a second one aimed straight at him as well. He dodged it with a jump and the shuriken turned into Naruto. He threw a kunai at Zabuza and he had to remove his hand from the prison he had created for Kakashi in order to catch it.

The genin managed to outsmart him.

Before the missing nin could throw the windmill shuriken at Naruto, Kakashi blocked it. With a swift move to the river, a slam of her palms on her water, and the change of color in her eyes, Yuki drug him from the other middle to the edge of the river so he wouldn't get in the way of the ninjas' fight. "Your plan worked out perfectly, Yuki!"

 _'T_ _hat fire jutsu took out too much of my energy..'_ The girl smiled softly, exhaustion taking over her body. "Thanks.. I'm just glad everyone is safe." she managed to utter before her vision went black.


	8. That flows nonstop.

When Yuki finally awoke, she was in a small house next to Kakashi-sensei. _'Guess I wasn't the_ only _one who overdid it..'_ Her teammates huddled around him with Tazuna close behind them. They presumably spoke what happened after she passed out. "So he's out?" She spoke quietly, surprising the rest of her team.

Her sensei shook his head "Here's the truth. Zabuza's still alive."

The only one not surprised by the news was Sasuke. "But we saw his body!" Naruto stressed, "Believe it!"

"Kakashi-sensei, you checked him yourself!" Sakura didn't seem to believe it, either. "You said that his heart stopped!"

"His heart _did_ stop." He confirmed, "But.. that was just a temporary state to simulate death. The weapons that tracker used were senbon. They can pierce deeply, but rarely kill unless they hit a vital organ, not in the neck. From these two factors, we can conclude that the tracker wasn't trying to destroy Zabuza. He was trying to save him."

Even though Tazuna doubted him, everything Kakashi explained made sense to Yuki. "Encountering suspicion, the ninja prepares quickly. Hesitation leads to disaster."

"Sensei," Sakura piped up again, "you said prepare quickly, but how can we do that when you can barely move?" 

Kakashi chuckled, "I can still train you."

"Hold on! A little last minute training won't make us strong enough to fight Zabuza! _You_ could barely defeat him, even with your sharingan! We have to be reasonable about this!" 

With a small giggle, Yuki replied. "A little training can do all the difference if you're being taught the right thing. Isn't that right, sensei?"

He ruffled her hair a bit, causing her to blush. "That's right."

Naruto laughed, "Things are gonna get better, believe it!" 

"I don't believe it!" A child's voice rang with pain from behind Naruto, "And nothing's gonna be good!" An adorable kid with green overalls and a white shirt stood at the door. He turned to his grandfather and ran up to him. "Welcome back, grandpa!" His mother scolded him for his attitude towards team seven.

While the kid and Naruto bickered, Yuki drifted back to what she saw during the fight. _'Those memories.. I was so stuck. It felt like a genjutsu, but.. Zabuza isn't the type to use it. So what exactly was it?'_ As the child, Naruto, and Sakura left the room, she looked over at Sasuke. _'He saved me from whatever that thing was..'_ Sasuke seemed to hear her thoughts, turning over to look at Yuki. A small blush rose to her cheeks and she turned away.

"So, Yuki." Kakashi began, "You seemed to know Zabuza. Would you mind if you told us where you know him from?" 

"Oh, I.." The girl looked over at the two boys, their stares trained intently on her. "Well, he's a famous assassin! So of course I know him!" With a nervous chuckle, she somehow managed to ie through her teeth without feeling _too_ bad. 

Sasuke didn't seem to believe her, but Kakashi hummed, "I guess you're right."

* * *

"Alright. Training starts now." Kakashi-sensei stood in a forest in his crutches. His students stood in front of him, waiting expectantly. "First, we will beggin with a review of chakra, the ninja's basic source of power. Understanding chakra is essential.

"We know that." Muttered Sasuke.

Naruto was exasperated, "He's right! A long time ago we learned about uh.. cattra!" Yuki giggled softly at his terrible attempt.

"Chakra." Kakashi corrected, asking Sakura to explain the basics. She did just that, almost seeming to read off of a textbook.

Meanwhile, Yuki stole a quick glance at her raven-haired teammate. "Is there anything you want to tell me?" Sasuke's voice dripped with annoyance, "Or are you gonna keep staring at me."

"Oh, uh.." she whispered, looking down at the ground with a blush, silently scolding herself for getting caught, "I just wanted to say thank you. For saving me from that genjutsu. And for helping me calm down."

He simply hummed, a small smirk on his face. "You really _do_ need to stop pushing yourself for no reason. That's the second time you've passed out from chakra exhaustion. As much as I _love_ carrying you," that part made her blush even more, "I'd rather not." He teased.

Finally looking up at him, Yuki smiled nervously. "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that.. though, if you have time later, there's something I'd like to talk to you about." Sasuke nodded and they both went back to paying attention.

"What's the big deal with all these complicated explanations?!" Naruto exclaimed, "The point is to learn the jutsu, isn't it?"

"Naruto's right for once," Sasuke chimed in, "We're already using chakra energy in our jutsus." 

With a small grin, Yuki finally spoke up, "But it's so much more complicated than that. Like Sakura said, there's a necessary balance between physical power and spiritual power. Only when you master that, you'll truly master chakra." She sighed contently, "I always loved learning about it.."

"That's right." Kakashi seemed unphased, "Until you can master it, you're only scratching the surface of it. It's just like Sakura said, you have to draw on the two energies and combine them within yourself. But how do you do that? You have to get the proportions of chakra just right. Up to know, you've just guessed, hoping they'd come out right. In order to control it, you must train so hard that controlling your chakra becomes second nature. To do this, you must put your life on the line."

Team seven was taken aback. Risking your life for some practice? "What do we have to do?"

Their sensei chuckled, "Climb a tree."

Yuki seemed to catch on immediately, "You mean, like without out hands?" She muttered excitedly.

"Exactly."

Sakura just stared at them, "You're kidding."

"Am I? Let's see." He looked at his purple-eyed student. "Would you like to demonstrate?" As soon as she started to walk up the bark of the tree with precise movements, Sasuke recalled the day they met. "Excelent control, Yuki. You can come down now." She jumped down silently and smiled at the rest of her team. "You get the idea. Focus the chakra toward the soles of your feet to connect to the tree."

"Wait a minute." Sakura crossed her arms, "That's a nice trick, but how does it help us fight Zabuza?" She yelled in her head, _'How come she already knows something so advanced? I'm gonna look like a loser in front of Sasuke! Cha!"_

"It's the only way to fight him, Sakura. That's the entire goal of this training. If you can master this, you'll be able to master _any_ jutsu. Well, I can talk about this all day, but that won't advance your skills, will it?" He threw three kunai, one for Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. "Use the kunai knife to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb without using your hands. Ready?" The three of them grabbed the knife.

As they focused their chakra, a small gust of wind appeared at their feet. When they attempted it, Sakura was the only one who could maintain her chakra well. Sasuke smashed the tree by using too much chakra, and Naruto used to little and fell down immediately. "Hey, this is fun!" Sakura called out, already on the highest branch of her tree. 

Kakashi nodded. "Well, looks like the female members of the squad have the most advanced chakra control. Well done, girls." Sakura smiled and Yuki giggled, missing the subtle glare the pinkette gave her.

"Yeah, way to go, Sakura!" Naruto had a large and visible bump on his head, "I always knew you were awesome, believe it!" He silently hid his annoyance from her. Sasuke, however, had no problem showing it.

_'I thought Sasuke would be impressed,'_ Sakura stared at him, _'but now he's mad at me. Why is it always like that? Sasuke's gonna hate me now!'_ Naruto and Sasuke gave each other glares, as if challenging the other to do better. "Kakashi-sensei?" Yuki rubbed her neck sheepishly, "Since I already know how to do it, is it okay if I practice on a more difficult surface?"

"What did you have in mind?" He tilted his head to the right.

"Well.. the ocean isn't too far out.." Kakashi nodded, making her smile. "Thank you, sensei." She practically skipped towards the ocean and stood at the edge. Yuki closed her eyes and sighed, "It's about time I had a little time for myself.." Focusing her chakra onto the bottoms of her feet, she stepped out into the water and managed a perfect balance. She giggled, jumping and dancing and twirling around. After a few hours of messing around in the water, the sun was starting to go down and it was getting late. Yuki started to focus. Her chakra surrounded her in waves, causing the water to ripple and tremble. She took a deep breath and began to dance.

Yuki spun twice and leaped, landing on her toes. She moved down low and swept her hand through the water, feeling it ripple in her touch. She pirouetted, extending her leg out, and leaped again. While she jumped, she opened her eyes and saw Sasuke standing on the edge of the water. Yuki fell into the water and squeaked. When she finally emerged from the water, she had to suppress the urge to growl at his dumb, attractive smirk.

_'Wait, what did I just say?-'_ Needless to say, embarrassment wasn't the only reason her face was red.

"Dinner's ready." And with that, he walked away.


	9. A million stars up in the sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally feeling as though she can trust Sasuke, Yuki confides in him. Despite her doubts, he understands more than she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be a bit more Yuki/Sasuke-centric, so I hope you enjoy!

Team seven, the kid from earlier that day (who's name is apparently Inari), and Tazuna sat around the table, happily eating the food his daughter gave them. Everyone was eating calmly except for Sasuke and Naruto, who shoved their food down their gobs like someone was going to take it from them. "I want some more!" They both yelled, glared at each other, then proceeded to empty out their stomachs.

"Don't eat so much if you're going to puke it up!" Sakura yelled back, making Yuki wince. 

"Yeah, please slow down you two.." She put her spoon down, trying to keep her own food down.

The two boys gave each other glares. "I have to eat." Sasuke complained, 

"And I have to eat more than him!" Naruto smirked, acting as if he hadn't thrown up just seconds before. 

Yuki sighed again, "I think I'm going to go for a walk." She gave Sasuke a subtle glance, saying _"come with me if you want to talk."_ He nodded and stood up, muttering a small 'thank you for the meal.' He followed closely behind her as they exited the house.

_'Cha! Are you kidding me?!'_ Sakura fumed, _'They're probably going out to do something romantic, like watch the stars together! I can't take it anymore! If this keeps up, she'll get Sasuke all to herself! I've got to follow them! Cha!'_ When she stood up, however, she noticed the torn picture on the wall and asked about it instead.

The blue-haired girl walked shoulder-to-shoulder next to the ravenette and through the forest, peering up at the stars. "It's a beautiful night, don't you think?" Sasuke simply grunted and shrugged. She took it as a sign he was paying attention and continued, "The stars are clearer in towns with very little outside light. That's why we don't have any in Hoshigakure. I'll have to take you some day.." He grunted again, silently asking her to get to the point. "Well, anyways.. I wanted to talk to you about the fight. With Zabuza."

"You mean the one where you passed out for no reason?" Sasuke smirked, "Yeah, I remember." 

She blushed at that, "Yeah, I'm sorry again." He shook his head, waving her off. "Well, I was put under a genjutsu, but.. Zabuza doesn't use genjustus." She ran one of her hands through her cyan locks, ruffling her hair ever so slightly. "I saw.. memories. Things only he and I would know of, but he was so focused on the sensei. Why would he mess around with a kid?" 

"Hm. But he recognized you. And you lied to Kakashi." Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets, "How do you really know him?" 

Yuki looked into his eyes and was reminded of her pendant again. With a blush and a quick attempt at a change of subject, she muttered, "Has anyone told you your eyes look like an onyx stone?"

Looking away with a slight shade of pink on his face, he grumbled, "Don't change the subject!"

"It's true!" She pushed harder away from the heavy subject. She reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a necklace with a black, teardrop-shaped stone on the middle. The chain was made of pure gold and the pendant had a small rose engraved on the back. "See? Black and pretty, like your eyes."

Sasuke stared at the stone and then back at her, smirking. "So, you think my eyes are pretty?"

The girl blushed deeply, matching the red on the back of his shirt, "No!- I mean, yes! All eyes are pretty!" She shook her head and huffed, ignoring the snickers from the boy next to her.

"Well, are you gonna tell me now? Or did you lie just to spend a little time with me?" His smirk grew, knowing he'd managed to get her to fess up.

"I am! It's just.." Yuki looked down at the pendant in her hands, "I haven't.. really told anybody before." She stopped walking and sat down on a clearing in the forest and gently tugged on Sasuke's sleeve. He sat down and looked up at the stars with her, "Zabuza, well he.." she clutched the necklace tightly in her grip, "He killed my parents." The boy said nothing and only nodded. "You know how they call him the silent killer? Well, he managed to kill them while I slept." She fought hard to keep from crying. "I had a nightmare that night and asked if I could sleep in their bed. When I woke up, there was blood on my clothes and face. Their blood."

Tears came down silently on Yuki's face, but her voice didn't crack. She showed no emotions through years of attempted recovery, her tears being the only ones that gave her away. She could never forget that night. "Even when they died, they held me close. They stopped breathing, moving.. and they held me..." She didn't notice her teammate staring at her now, the slightest flicker of sympathy and understanding showed in his eyes. "It was my birthday."

Sasuke didn't know what to do. So, he did the only thing he wanted others to do when his clan was murdered. He hugged her. He held her tightly and shielded her away from everything. He shielded her away from death, hate, murder, war. Everything. Yuki didn't move for a moment; the warmth of a hug seemed almost foreign to her now. She hadn't been embraced like this since.. well, she didn't want to think about it anymore. She clutched his shirt tightly and calmed herself down.

"Thank you, Sasuke." Yuki wiped her face of any stray tears and smiled, pulling away. "I never knew you were such a softie!" She teased him, bumping his shoulder with hers.

Sasuke simply blushed and looked away again, some stray strands of his hair falling on his face. "Whatever." He paused and looked at the stone again. "Why don't you wear it, since it means so much to you and all."

"I guess I've always been scared of losing it during battle.." Yuki shrugged, "But.. maybe I'll start wearing it. Do.. you mind?" She held up the pendant for him to put on her neck. He rolled his eyes and grabbed the necklace. Turning around to face away from him, she moved her long blue hair out of the way. He unclasped the piece of jewelry and placed it carefully around her neck. The slight brush of his fingers on her skin was enough to make her face heat up.

"There."

Looking at the ground for a moment, Yuki turned back around, choosing to face him this time. "Thank you again. For everything." Sasuke nodded and looked up at the stars.


	10. And none of them, I am quite sure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter is so late, I got caught up in some stuff, but everything will be back on schedule! Thank you for your patience!

The next morning, Sakura was the last one to wake up. "Good morning, everyone." She yawned and rubbed her eyes tiredly Sasuke, Kakashi, Inari, Tenzo, and Yuki sat around the table. "Hey, what's that around your neck?" She pointed at Yuki's pendant.

"Oh, it's.." She gently rubbed the black stone with the pads of her fingers, "A present. From my parents. I've had it for a while, just never wore it." She shook her head, "But anyways, you're the last one to wake up."

"Naruto's not here?" The old man grumbled, "Looks like he was out all night again."

"He's gone completely crazy!" Sakura whined and took a seat at the table, "He's out climbing trees in the dark. He could be dead by now! You know, from using too much of his chakra." She shot Yuki a subtle glare, reminding her of her own recent chakra exhaustion. She blushed from embarrassment.

"Well, I certainly hope he's okay." Inari's mom spoke up and handed Sakura her plate. "A child, spending the night in the woods alone."

Kakashi waved her off, "There's nothing to worry about. Naruto is a goofy kid, but he's also a full-fledged ninja. He can handle himself." 

"Sakura's right." Sasuke shrugged, "Naruto's such a loser, he's probably lying out there dead somewhere."

Despite knowing that Naruto probably _wasn't_ dead, Yuki couldn't help the feeling of doubt pulling at her mind. "Well, someone should probably go check up on him anyways. I just finished eating, so I'll go." She excused herself and walked out. Sasuke also stood, going towards the door. 

_'They're gonna go off together again! I've got to do something!'_ Sakura jumped up and looked over at him, "Sasuke?"

"I'm going for a walk." He lied smoothly.

"Uh-" She tried to think up of a reason for him to stay, "B-but we just started eating!- huh?" Looking over at his plate, Sakura's eyebrow twitched. "That was fast."

It didn't take very long for Yuki to realize Sasuke had decided to accompany her. She stopped walking, looking back at him while he caught up. "Hey, I thought you just started eating!"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, not sparing her a glance. "I finished eating." When he finally caught up, they continued walking, going into the direction of the forest.

Humming softly, she had a sudden realization. She gave him a mischievous look, "Why are you coming with me?"

"I just wanted to check to see if that idiot is really dead."

"You.. you care about him, don't you?!" Yuki grinned widely, "You care about him so you want to see that he's okay! Sasuke, you're such a sweetheart!"

"Shut up! That's not true!" He covered her mouth with his hand, looking around to make sure nobody (especially not Naruto) had heard that.

Giving her a deathly glare, Yuki simply giggled and pried his hand away from her. She held it gently, the warmth of his hands doing wonders to the cold of her own. Slowly but surely, she let go, already regretting her decision. "You know, you're not as tough as you act." Before Sasuke could protest, she continued. "I know, I know. You have a reputation to uphold. But.. it can be hard. It can be hard to hide your feelings from the world. So, if life ever becomes too much.." she shrugged, acting like it wasn't as big of a deal as it actually was, "I'm here." He nodded.

As they walked, spotted Naruto sitting on the grass. A boy they didn't recognize walked passed them. Yuki shivered and looked behind her and stared at him. Her and Sasuke heard Naruto groan. "Whoa, I've seen a lot of weird things in my life before, but this one takes the cake!" His raven haired teammate hit him on the head. "Ow! Hey, what did you do that for?! Cut it out!" 

"You twerp." He responded, crossing his arms over his chest, "Did you just forget about breakfast? You're such a loser."

"We were worried about you!" Yuki squished Naruto's cheeks in her hands. "You really shouldn't be out here practicing by your self, ya know." He laughed, making her giggle and Sasuke roll his eyes.

Off in the distance, Sakura's voice rang out in the trees. "Naruto?" She stood next to Kakashi with a picnic basket in her hand. "Knowing Naruto, he could be anywhere. Yuki's probably having a hard time looking for him. And Sasuke hasn't come back either, I wonder where they are." A kunai was shot down at them, hitting right in front of her feet. They both looked up to find Naruto on the highest branch of a tree. "Whoa, Naruto can climb that high now using his chakra? That's great!" Kakashi hummed in agreement.

"I'm proud of him." Yuki suddenly appeared next to them with a soft smile.

"What do you think? High enough for you guys?" Naruto laughed, "I mean, it's a long way down, huh?" He jumped up, but ended up losing his footing and tumbling backwards. His team watched in horror, the cyanette almost running to catch him. Before he could fall, however, he hung upside down on the branch. "Haha! Just kidding. You guys really fell for it!"

"We were worried about you, Naruto!" Sakura yelled, holding back from strangling him. 

"Why do I think this is going to end badly?" Kakashi looked up at his blond student. At that exact moment, Naruto's feet detached from the tree, making him fall for real this time.

"Aah! You just had to push it, didn't you, show off!" Naruto almost his the ground before Sasuke caught him, hanging upside-down from a branch. 

"You really are a total loser, Naruto." 

"Ah! Sasuke!" The blond fumed

Sakura gushed at the sight, "All right, Sasuke! You're the best!"

"If I'm still sane by the time I finish their training," Their sensei spoke, "it'll be a miracle." Yuki looked up at him with a sheepish smile.

That night, Naruto and Sasuke stayed out in the forest and trained all day. They weren't even back by dinner. "Now they're both late." Sakura complained, "I wouldn't have expected that from Sasuke."

"You'd be surprised, Sakura." Yuki giggled softly, staring at the door. "They've both been trying to one-up each other, so it's only natural they check up on the other's progress."

In that moment, the boys mentioned stumbled into the kitchen, the blond's arm happily wrapped around the ravenette's. Naruto was the first one to speak, "We both made it. We climbed all the way to the top."

"Good." Their sensei looked down at his food, "Now we can move on. Starting tomorrow, you're both bodyguards for Tazuna."

"Alright!" He laughed and stumbled backwards, sending Sasuke falling backwards with him. 

"You're such a loser." Sasuke complained, causing everyone else to laugh. As everyone finished their food, the bridge builder made an announcement.

"In a few more days, the bridge will be finished. I have you to thank for that." 

His daughter nodded, "You've all done great, but you've still got to be careful."

"I've been meaning to ask you this, but I haven't had the chance until now. Why did you stay and protect me, even after you found out I lied to bring you here?" 

Kakashi looked pensive, but only for a moment. He responded confidently, " 'Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive.' That was a quote from the first hokage." Inari hummed softly and looked over at Naruto, who was falling asleep at the table.

The boy's wet tears splattered on the table. "But why?" He slammed his hands on the kitchen table, "All this stupid training is just a waste of time! Gato's got a whole army! They'll beat you down and they'll destroy you." Team seven stared at him in shock and understanding; everyone except Naruto. "These cool things you all say, they don't mean anything! No matter what you do, the strong always win and the weak always lose."

"Just speak for yourself, it won't be like that for me, you got that?" Naruto said

"Why don't you be quiet? Looking at you makes me sick!" Inari cried out, "You don't know anything about this country, you're just butting in! Always laughing and playing around, you don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt!"

Shifting around a bit, Naruto pipped up again, "Listen to yourself, whining and complaining like some sorry little victim. You can whimper all day for all I care, you're nothing but a coward!"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled, "You went too far!" He simply grunted and went to the room where he was staying. "Naruto.." Inari sobbed quietly and ran out to the docks. Kakashi followed close behind him and the rest of team seven went to bed.

The next morning, everyone except Naruto stood outside of the bridge builder's house, ready to finish their mission and Yuki volunteered to watch over Naruto. Kakashi nodded, "Okay, I leave Naruto in your hands. He pushed his body to the limit, overdoing it as usual, so he may not be able to move today at all."

"What about you?" Inari's mom seemed concerned, "You're still recovering yourself."

"Why, do I look wobbly? I'll be okay."

Tazuna was starting to get impatient, "Come on. Let's go." Yuki sent them off with a wave and went inside, preparing some of her things where Naruto slept.

It wasn't very long until he woke up, drool still trailing down his mouth. "Ahh! Why didn't somebody wake me up?" He whipped his head to look over at his blue haired teammate, "Where is everybody, where'd they all go?"

"Well, we wanted to let you rest." She scratched her cheek softly, "You really overdid it yesterday, I'm surprised you can even move!"

"I knew it! They ditched me!" Yuki had to cover her eyes as Naruto changed his clothes in a flash. "Let's go! We'll be late!" He grabbed her hand and ran out of the door. The two jumped from tree to tree, "You should have woken me up!" They passed through the forest and spotted a wild, hurt boar.

Suppressing a gasp, Yuki stopped to examine it. "What happened? Why is everything all cut up?"

"I don't know.. but all of these marks lead up back to the house! Lat's go!" They ran back towards the house, knowing something was wrong. When they got there, they sighed. They were just on time. Before one of the swordsmen holding Inari and his mother hostage could slice through him, Naruto jumped and used a substitution jutsu. They disappeared along with the woman. 

"Sorry we're late, gentlemen." Yuki smiled at them, gently laying down Inari's mom. "Just try not to be too hard on us, okay?"

"You know, heroes usually show up last minute, so we shouldn't be sorry!"

Inari gasped. "Yuki, Naruto.. It's you guys!"

"Who else?" He laughed, putting him down with his mom.

The cyanette giggled, "You did great, Inari. When you ran, they forgot about your mom, giving us the perfect opportunity to use a substitution!"

"How did you know these samurai guys were coming here?" He looked down at his mom, then back at them. Naruto had to think for a moment before explaining his thought process. "That was really smart!" Luckily, it didn't take too much effort to take down Gato's workers. As soon as they did, they ran towards the bridge to meet up with the rest of the team.


	11. Can be like you and catch my eye;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY HANNUKAH, EVERYONE-
> 
> Also I'm sorry about the late chapter, but it was super long, so I hope you enjoy it!

Naruto threw a shuriken at Haku, disarming him and striking him straight on the cheek. He fell out of his mirrors and collapsed on the ground. Yuki appeared in front of the bridge builder and encased him in her bubble, turning her eyes blue. "Did you forget about us?" A large explosion went off next to the ice mirrors, rattling the bridge. 

"Number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja and the strongest kunoichi of her age." Haku mocked, getting up from the ground.

When the smoke cleared, the blond in question stood. "Naruto Uzumaki is here. Believe it! Hah! Now that I'm here, everything will be alright." Yuki giggled and the rest of his team deadpanned. Zabuza threw some shuriken and before he could dodge, Haku threw his senbon. They clashed and fell. Sakura and Kakashi lectured him, which most would think is a bad idea in the middle of a battle. 

"Haku. What are you doing?" Zabuza looked away from Kakashi to look at his apprentice. 

"Zabuza, this boy.. let me fight him my own way. Please."

"Bring it on!" Naruto broke out into his battle stance, ready for a fight.

"So you want me to leave this to you. Is that it, Haku?" Zabuza hummed. It was clear he didn't believe him for a second. "As usual, you're too soft."

"Forgive me." He responded, making Naruto yell even more. Kakashi wanted to interfere, but the missing nin wouldn't let him.

"Sakura," Yuki stared at the ice prison Sasuke was trapped in, "We've got to do something, but I can't do a jutsu and keep the bubble up." She suppressed a scream when she saw senbon needles cutting though his skin, one after the other. "There's gotta be something.." 

"Hey!" Naruto, being the helpful (but dumb) person he is, jumped into the mirrors with him. "I snuck in here to save you!" the rest of team seven sighed and sweatdropped. "Pretty cool move, huh Sasuke?"

"Naruto, you sneak up on your enemy, not your ally." Kakashi sighed.

While the two boys argued, Yuki tried coming up with a plan. "I.. I think I've got it. Sasuke, I've got a plan!" He nodded and looked over. "Try and melt the ice from the inside, I'll try and do the same from the outside!"

"But Yuki!" Sakura looked back at Tazuna, still incased in her bubble, "You can't keep up two ninjutsus at the same time!"

Tazuna grunted, "If you need to stop protecting me in order to fight, do it."

"No." Yuki kept half of her hand in the ox position and the other half went through her fire jutsu. _'remember..'_ she thought, _'concentrate on your chakra. Split it, use it in two completely different directions. Focus on both.'_ Her originally blue eye now held red as well, making a balanced dualism swirl "Now, Sasuke!" The two of them aimed their fire towards one of the ice mirrors and it melted half way. "Get out of there!" Before Sasuke and Naruto could move, Haku sent another barrage of needles. They cried out in pain, making the rest of team seven flinch. 

The two boys looked around the mirrors, trying to decipher which one was real. "Yuki." Kakashi spoke, not once turning his attention away from Zabuza. "You used two different jutsus at the same time. Only advanced shinobi can pull off such a feat. You've done great progress." She tried to smile at her sensei, but Naruto's scream tore their focus. Haku spoke then, talking about his dreams and how he must put himself aside for his own dream. 

"Sasuke, Naruto!" Sakura yelle, "Take this guy out, you can do it!" 

"No, Sakura.." Yuki realised it was too late before she even opened her mouth, "Even if they beat that boy, they can't take on Zabuza.." She looked up at the hidden mist missing nin and locked eyes with him.

"Smart girl." Zabuza mocked, instilling even more fear to the already frightened girl, "Then again, you learn from experience, don't you?" Sakura and Kakashi looked at her in shock. Tears pricked at Yuki's eyes and she felt herself fall into a genjutsu, just like the last fight. "Maybe I'll finally finish the job and kill you, too."

Their sensei shook his head and grabbed his headband, planning to use his sharingan. Zabuza ran up to him and stabbed Kakashi's hand right over his eye. As they talked, Yuki felt herself go faint. Their voices slowly began to fade out. "No." She muttered, "I won't pass out. Not again." She tightened her fist and grunted softly, forcing herself to focus on reality. The feel of the fog thickening effectively brought her back.

"Sakura, Yuki. Stay with Tazuna. Make sure to keep the jutsu up at all times." Kakashi looked around. The two girls nodded and moved closer to the bridge builder. They could hear flames roaring where the ice mirrors were and words being spoken where their sensei was. It was impossible to see anything. The next thing they knew, Kakashi appeared behind the both of them with Zabuza. The girls were startled, causing Sakura to scream as they watched Zabuza's the assassin's sword cut through their sensei's chest. He mocked them, openly and cruelly. Then, he disappeared into the mist once agin.

"He said Sasuke will die.." Sakura clenched her fists, "No, I won't believe that! I have faith in him! And that masked kid.."

Yuki spoke up as well, "He doesn't stand a chance against Sasuke and Naruto.." She smiled softly, "When they're together, they make the perfect team."

"Exactly." Kakashi grunted, holding his bleeding wound. "I.. I believe in their abilities. I have faith in them. Naruto, the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja, and Sasuke, heir to the most powerful clan in the hidden leaf village." Zabuza gasped. "Yes. His full name is Sasuke Uchiha. The kekkei genkai is his birthright."

"Ah. I heard that one young ninja survived the tragedy of the Uchiha clan." He responded. Yuki narrowed her eyes. _'tragedy?'_ Zabuza became more visible through the thick fog. "No wonder he advances so quickly. But so does Haku. Even the most skilled jonin fall before him, just as you will fall before me, right now!"

"Sakura, Yuki, stay with Tazuna." The girls nodded and kept their guard up, watching as their sensei ran into the mist. Suddenly, a powerful surge of chakra could be felt throughout the bridge.

"What.." Yuki whipped her head around, looking for the source, "What is this?" Sakura hummed in question. "It's chakra, I can feel it.. but it doesn't feel natural. It feels evil, it feels.. deadly." The sound of glass shattering echoed. "Naruto! Sasuke!" A powerful wind blew through along with more sounds of broken ice. A barrage of broken shards could be heard falling where they had last seen Naruto and Sasuke. Then, barking and snarling was heard in the direction Kakashi had run towards. "Gods above.. what on earth is happening?"

Tazuna flinched, sweat dripping down his temple. "That dreadful noise, what could it be?"

"I'm don't know," Sakura gripped her kunai, "and I'm not sure I want to find out!" When the mist had begun to clear, something similar to birds chirping rung around them.

"At last, I think this blasted fog is lifting." Two black shadows could be seen in the distance.

"Look, they're standing still, like they're squaring off."

"Yeah? I can't see a thing."

"Which one of them's Kakashi sensei?" Sakura gasped as one of the shadows shifted, then a strong wind knocked them back slightly.

"What the devil?-" When the fog finally lifted fully, they could see Kakashi with his hand up to Haku's chest, which was completely covered in his blood. He coughed and tore the older man's hand away, muttering his master's name. His blood dripped down quickly, staining everything around it as it collided with the ground. "Isn't that the young man in the mask?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, still refusing to move his hand away. "The boy threw himself in front of my attack." He looked up at his original target, "He saved your worthless life at the cost of his own." Zabuza chuckled and grabbed his sword, ready to slice right through Haku in order to kill Kakashi. However, the copy ninja grabbed the boy and jumped away to safety.

As soon as they saw Naruto, Sakura began to yell to get his attention. "Naruto? Naruto! Over here! Naruto!" 

"Sakura, I think he can hear you-" Yuki tried to get her to stop yelling, but it only earned her a glare from the pinkette.

"So you and Sasuke are alright?" Naruto seemed hesitant to answer. "What's wrong? Where _is_ Sasuke anyways?" The blond screwed his eyes shut and looked away.

"N-no.." Yuki's head began to spin. _'Another one, dead.'_ she thought, _'Another person I cared about, dead.'_ The bubble she had made for Tazuna popped as she tried to regain focus.

"Let me take you to him, Yuki, Sakura." Tazuna looked down at the two girls, "As long as we stay together, you won't be disobeying your sensei's orders."

"Thank you." Sakura croaked as she and Yuki grabbed his hands. They ran across the bridge to find Sasuke. When they found him, he laid motionless on the ground, needles sticking out of his body from every direction, blood slowly falling out of his mouth. Sakura gasped and fell on her knees, and Tazuna looked away. She grabbed his face, "Oh, his body's cold. This isn't one of his genjutsu tricks, isn't it?"

"It isn't." Yuki confirmed. She felt her throat close up and her eyes glisten.

"Go on." The bridge builder shook his head, "You don't need to be brave on my account. Go ahead and let your feelings out, it's alright."

And with that, Yuki collapsed next to Sasuke and stared at his face. Even when Sakura spoke, she didn't hear it. She could only hear Sasuke's teasing remarks, the insults he hurled at Naruto. When the ground scratched at her knees, she could only feel the warmth of his skin on hers. Even when she closed her eyes, she could only see his smirk and his eyes that reminded her of the pendant around her neck. Slow and steady tears dripped down her face and onto his, which she quickly wiped away. She cradled his face in her hands and lay a soft kiss on his forehead. "You did good." She whispered, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "And I'm sorry." Yuki held his head to her chest.

That was the first thing Sasuke felt when he woke up. The slow heartbeat of a girl who was alive and mourning the death of someone she loved. It thrummed against his ear and gave him a feeling of warmth across his own chest. "Yuki, it's.." he muttered, "It's hard to breath with you coddling me-"

"Sasuke?" She opened her eyes to see her previously fallen comrade stir. He looked up at her with the big black eyes Yuki adored so much and blinked slowly. She smiled softly and wiped away her tears. "Took you long enough."

"Tazuna, he's alive! Alive!" Sakura cried, hugging around his neck and pressing on his wounds.

"Ow! Sakura, that hurts!" He complained, slowly moving to sit up. "How's Naruto? And what happened to that guy in the mask?"

"Naruto's alright, but Haku.." Yuki looked away, "He died a wrongful death.."

"Dead? But how?" Sasuke looked between Sakura and the cyanette. "Did Naruto do it?"

"We were protecting the bridge builder, so we didn't get to see, but.. he died protecting Zabuza."

Sakura stared at the ravenette, "I had faith in you, Sasuke. I knew you'd pull through. You're too cool a guy to stay down for long." She stood up and got Naruto's attention.

"Sasuke.." He turned to Yuki, "I'm glad you're not gone."


	12. I am summer and you are snow,

"Hey guys, good morning. Sorry I'm late, afraid I got lost on the path of life."

Sakura and Naruto yelled at their sensei in anger.

"I'm ready for the next ninja mission, sensei!" Naruto looked excited, "And hey, come on. No more of this dumb beginner stuff, okay? I want a chance to prove myself! I'm talking a real mission, where I could show what I'm made of!" Kakashi tried to calm the blond down, but it only made him even more excitable. He turned around and started glaring at Sasuke. _'He's such a twerp!'_ Sakura thought, and before she could land a punch on his face, Yuki put her hand on her shoulder. "Believe it!"

"I don't know, Naruto." Yuki rolled her joints, "I'm not sure I'm up to _another_ hard mission so soon.." Naruto ignored her, opting to stare at the ravenette, instead.

Team seven's jonin simply sighed, "Let us know when you're done fantasizing, Naruto, so we can start the mission, alright?" she giggled.

"Could you _not_ be so annoying, Naruto, just for once?" Sakura grumbled.

Their first mission was to help a woman pluck out some weeds in her garden, which the team's cyanette was thankful for. Naruto, however, plucked the weeds AND the plants the lady needed, which ended up with him having a black eye. The next mission, Yuki's personal favorite job, consisted of cleaning out the garbage of a nearby river. Naruto tripped and fell down the waterfall on the end of it, and ended up getting saved by Sasuke. The mission after that was dog-sitting. Naruto decided to take care of one of the bigger dogs and ended up in a minefield. Sasuke and Sakura simply watched him inch closer to his demise while Yuki was busy getting viciously licked by the dog she was taking care of. All in all, the missions were fine for everyone but Naruto.

Sakura complained and Sasuke mocked him, earning a hard glare and a gentle punch from Yuki. Just when Naruto was about to attack Sasuke, Sakura got in the way and gave him a heavy threat.

As the rest of the team complained, Yuki stared at Sasuke. Now, she didn't consider herself a violent person, but there was something about the onyx-eyed boy that made her want to throw a needle at him, and it started occurring after they had come back from the land of waves. She was so lost in thought, she almost hadn't registered the threat of battle between him and Naruto. Their fighting was finally on her last nerve. "Will you two quit it?!" Yuki yelled, making the entirety of team seven flinch. "The two of you have been acting like children, trying to one up each other at every turn! I expected better from you, Sasuke. From _both_ of you! Now, if you don't stop this fighting I'll make sure you two aren't able to move for a week!" It took the rest of the genin a solid minute before they looked past the fact that their soft-spoken teammate was yelling and saw the meaning behind it. Naruto and Sasuke huffed and looked away from each other.

"All right, guys." Kakashi was the first one to break the silence, "Let's call it a day. You can beat each other to a pulp some other time. Anyway, I have to file a report on this mission." 

"Whatever, I'm out of here." Sasuke turned around. Before Yuki could follow him and ask about something, Sakura grabbed her arm.

"Oh no you don't!" She narrowed her eyes at the cyanette, "Don't think I haven't noticed you trying to take my Sasuke away from me!" before the other girl could protest, Sakura pushed her towards Naruto and ran off to catch up with Sasuke.

Yuki simply sighed and looked away. "I wasn't.. whatever." She watched as Sasuke walked away again, Sakura began to sulk, and their sensei disappeared. As much as she wanted to get away from the chaos, she had to stick with her teammates. "Hey Naruto, maybe you should-"

The sound of a box shuffling distracted them and they turned to face a pile of obviously fake rocks. She slowly pulled out a needle, ready to strike, when three kids jumped out. "You saw through my camouflage! You're slick, lady!" The kid with the long scarf spoke first, standing proudly in between a girl with tall hair and another boy with glasses.

As the three introduced themselves, Yuki couldn't help but give them a big grin, giggling at how adorable they looked. "Yeah, I knew it was you, Konohamaru." Naruto put his hands behind his head.

"I didn't know you had admirers, Naruto!" She nudged his shoulder gently. The Konohamaru ninja squad stared at her.

Sakura walked up to them, still sulking. "A ninja playing ninja? That is so twisted." She referred to their conversation from earlier. Naruto flinched and greeted her, then started to laugh nervously.

"Hey boss, who are these girls, anyways?" Konohamaru looked up at Yuki and Sakura, then back at Naruto. "Ah! I get it! You're a smooth operator, boss!" The two girls looked at each other. "They're your girlfriends, aren't they?" The pinkette pulled an angry face and the shorter girl blushed. Naruto simply giggled and agreed, earning a punch on the cheek from Sakura.

“Boss!” Konohamaru cried out. “What kind of girlfriend are you!?” Yuki ran up to the blond and gently wiped away the blood that dripped out of his mouth.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" He groaned as she cradled his face in her hands

"You're a witch, and you're ugly too!" the boy with the scarf yelled, pointing at the cyanette at Naruto's side, "Why can't you be nice and pretty like her?!" Sakura cracked her knuckles and Yuki panicked, hiding the three kids behind her. The other girl lifted her fist to punch them.

"Now now, Sakura! They're just kids!-" Sakura huffed and turned around, walking away.

"I don't even think she's human!" Konohamaru teased, feeling safe behind Yuki, "Do you see how wide her forehead is?" The girl mentioned stopped and turned around, a creepy smile on her face, then ran towards them.

The five of them ran away, causing Konohamaru to bump into someone. He fell back with a grunt and looked up at the person in his way. A girl with blond hair and a boy with makeup stood in front of them. "Do you need something?" The latter spoke, picking up the kid in front of him by his collar. "Does this hurt, punk?" 

"Put him down, Kankuro." The girl next to him rolled her eyes, "Or you know you'll pay for it later."

"Hey, I'm sorry." Sakura spoke quietly, "The whole thing was my fault."

"You better take your hands off him right now!" Naruto yelled. Yuki put her hand in front of him, stopping him from doing anything drastic. But then, Kankuro started making threats and her hand wasn't enough to stop him. Naruto ran towards them and fell backwards, as if someone was pulling him. "What the- what was that?!" Before Kankuro could land a punch on the hokage's grandson, he was hit in the face by a rock, making him drop Konohamaru. They all looked in the direction the rock came from and spotted Sasuke sitting on the branch of a tree.

"You're a long way from home, and you're way out of your league." Sakura squealed and Yuki rolled her eyed. _'Showoff.'_ she thought.

"Oh great," Kankuro complained, "Another wimp to tick me off."

Sasuke crushed the rock he had in his hand and turned it into dust. "Get lost." Moegi, Udon, and Sakura gushed at how cool he looked. Kankuro pulled out the puppet he had on his back, but was stopped by a voice.

"Kankuro, back off." A raspy voice spoke from the same tree Sasuke was in. A boy with red hair and kanji on his forehead stood upside down on a branch. "You're an embarrassment to our village. Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?" The boy mentioned chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused"

"Wow.. I-it's no problem!" Yuki stared in awe, _'His hair is so pretty! And does his forehead say Ai? That's adorable!'_ she thought silently. "You're from another village," she pointed at their headbands, "Sunagakure, the village hidden in the sand. Isn't that right? Why are you here, what is your business?"

"Really?" The blond girl mocked, "Have you guys all been living under a rock or what? You don't know what's going on, do you?" Yuki resisted the urge to roll her eyes and gave them a soft smile instead. "We have permission. Of course, you're correct. We're hidden Sand genin. Our home is the land of wind. We're here for the chunin exams, get the picture?" 

"Chunin exams?" Naruto questioned.

"Really?" Yuki thought of what day it was and gasped, "She's right, the exams are right around the corner! I can't believe I forgot all about them!" She turned to the boy next to him and smiled, "They're a series of tests to see if genin are worthy of becoming chunin. I hope Kakashi-sensei signed us up for them!" Little did she know their teacher was recommending all three of them at that exact moment.


	13. You are my high when I am low.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I hope all of you had a good break, I know I didn't!
> 
> Also, I'm sorry on the behalf of the US.
> 
> Anyways, here's a new chapter. As always, kudos and comments are appreciated!

"Sakura! Hey, you're late!" Naruto yelled from the entrance of the academy, a goofy grin plastered on his face. Sakura blushed, apologized softly before giving Sasuke a look and greeting him.

"Hey, you look tense." Yuki put a hand on her teammate's shoulder, "Are you alright?" She nodded with a sad smile and led them into the academy. They headed inside and walked up only two sets of stairs before reaching a crowd of people standing around room 301. "What are you all doing here?" Yuki walked to the door of the room and saw two people standing in front of it. "That's strange.."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and demanded to be let through. "And while you're at it, reverse the genjutsu. We can see through your illusion anyway." his teammate hummed, nodding softly. "We're headed to the third floor." The crowd gasped in unison, saying that they were there.

The two boys at the door looked disappointed, "Well well, so you noticed our genjutsu, huh?"

"Go ahead, tell them Sakura. I'm sure you saw it before anyone else did."

The girl was startled, but spat out an explanation anyway. As soon as she did, the room number changed to 201. The disappointment on the two boys' faces didn't last very long, though. They immediately turned into smirks as the one on the right spoke up again. "Well, aren't we the smart ones? So, you noticed an illusion. Now let's see you deal with this!" He did a spin and jumped, aiming a kick at Sasuke. He did the same, and they would've collided. However, a green flash landed between them, effectively blocking both. 

A boy with thick eyebrows, a bowl cut, and green jumpsuit held both of their ankles. _'Woah!'_ Yuki thought, an amazed blush settling on her cheeks. _'That guy's so fast! And he caught those two hits like it wasn't anything at all! I wonder who he is..?'_ The two attackers moved away and Sasuke gave her blue-haired teammate a sideways glance. He scoffed when he noticed her blush and looked away. A boy with light skin and brown hair spoke gently, addressing his teammate. "Hey. What happened to the plan? I thought you were the one who said to keep a low profile and don't let anyone see our skill level."

There was a girl next to him with tan skin and hair put up in buns, seemingly used to the boy's antics. "Never mind, it's over. Forget it." The boy with the bowl-cut blushed slightly and looked at Sakura before walking up to her. 

"My name is Rock Lee. You are Sakura, right?" He winked at her, grinned, and gave a thumbs up. "Please be my girlfriend! I vow to protect you with my life!" The girl mentioned seemed taken aback, looking at Yuki, who only offered a sheepish smile.

"Definitely not." Lee frowned sadly, earning a sweatdrop from the onlookers. "Because you're a weirdo." Yuki elbowed Sakura gently, saying _'don't be rude!'_ with her look alone. Naruto simply laughed, earning another glare from the cyanette. 

"My name is Yuki, pleasure to meet you!" She presented Naruto to him as well. "Pardon my teammates, they're just.." Lee stared at her as she tried to come up with a believable excuse. When she found none, she simply hung her head in shame. "Well, anyways, we really _should_ get going." She walked up the stairs and looked over her shoulder, giving Lee a soft smile, "Oh, and thank you for stopping that fight. Your speed is very impressive!" She missed the blush that appeared on the genin's face.

Team seven walked back down stairs after checking in, when a voice stopped them from walking to their next destination. "Hey you, with the attitude." It was Rock Lee, standing on a balcony. "Hold on." The four turned around and Yuki snickered,

"I think he means you, Sasuke. You _have_ been pretty sour lately." The ravenette rolled his eyes, hiding a smirk.

"What do you want?" He replied, looking as uninterested as ever.

"I want to fight, right here and right now!"

"You want to fight me here and now, huh?"

Rock Lee nodded and jumped down. "My name is Rock Lee. You said it was common courtesy for a challenger to give his own name first, right? Sasuke Uchiha?" Yuki was impressed with Sasuke. _'He was courteous about it..? Maybe I_ am _a good influence on him after all!'_

"Hm. So you know me."

"I challenge you!" The boy clad in green stood in a fighting position, "Everyone is always talking about the Uchiha clan and how great they are. I want to see if it is true. I figure you will be a good test for me. And also.." He looked over at Sakura and Yuki, the former shivering in disgust. "Oh, Sakura! Yuki! It is so hard to chose between you, I love both of you!" Sakura screamed, spewing insults while Yuki simply blushed and looked away. "You two are angels sent from heaven!"

He sent a barrage of winks and love hearts in Sakura's direction and she managed to dodge every one. When he winked at Yuki, however, she caught the little heart and held it to her chest. _'He's adorable!'_ The black-eyed boy next to her had to hold in a growl. He was even more determined than ever to defeat his challenger now. "You've heard of the Uchiha clan," Sasuke spoke, yet you're challenging me? You must be even more psycho than you look, if that's possible." That little comment earned him a shove on the shoulder from Yuki. "You want to know more about my clan, then I'll teach you the hard way."

With a smirk, Lee responded. "Bring it on."

"Hold it!" Naruto yelled, "I get him first, this weirdo is mine." He looked upset, but his purple-eyed friend was _far_ more.

"Will you all _please_ stop making fun of him? It's rude, and if you ask me, he's awfully adorable." Yuki crossed her arms, earning herself a surprised look from the rest of her team and an almost passed-out Rock Lee.

The chunnin exams were going to be a lot of fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been looking for someone to draw out Yuki for me, since I am not exactly an artist. If anyone is interested in doing that for me, please let me know. Send me a DM through Instagram @ItsMarcyGuys. Thank you!


	14. I know you dream of hate

"Glad you came, Sakura. For your sake, and the others." Kakashi stood in front of room 301 with a particularly serious look on his face. "Now, you can all formally register for the chunin exam."

"Why, what do you mean?" Sakura spoke up.

He looked at her and elaborated, "You see, only full groups are allowed to apply for and take this exam. That's the way it's always been."

"But sensei, you said the decision to take the exam was up to the individual!" 

"That's right. I did." As the two spoke, Yuki's mind drifted off to the battle between Lee, Sasuke, and Naruto. _'Well, it was less of a battle and more of a totally one-sided beatdown.'_ She snickered internally, _'Those boys_ really _needed a reality check. I'm just glad it happened sooner rather than later..'_ "--but it's a moot point. You're all here, and for the right reasons. Sakura." The girl blushed slightly, "Naruto." He smirked, "Sasuke. And Yuki." The girl hummed. "I'm proud of you. I couldn't ask for a better team." Yuki couldn't help but tear up a bit, "Good luck." The four pushed open the door to room 301.

The sight shocked Naruto. "Wh-what's this?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes

"Gee- I guess we're not alone!" Sakura blinked.

Yuki still hadn't turned around, making sure the door was shut properly and quietly. "Hm? What do you-" a subconscious giggle escaped her throat, something that happened when she was nervous. Room 301 was chocked full of genin. "I guess I forgot that it wasn't just the leaf village competing to be chunin-"

A voice interrupted their thoughts. "Sasuke, where have you been?" Ino, the owner of the voice, jumped on Sasuke's back in a hug. The ravenette sent her a glare that would scare most. "Boy, you have no idea how much I was hoping you'd show up here! I've missed those brooding good looks of yours!" Before Sakura could begin to yell, Yuki ran up to Ino. 

"Yamanaka! Long time, no see!" She gently and subtly pried her off of Sasuke, locking their arms together. "Well, I haven't seen you since we went shopping together! How's that nice blouse you got yourself looking?-"

Shikamaru and Choji walked up, joining their teammate. "Oh, it's you guys." The former spoke while the latter stuffed his face full of chips. "I knew this was gonna be a drag, but I didn't know it was gonna be _this_ lame." As the two teams began to catch up, team 8 walked up as well.

"Here we are, the ten rookies." Kiba laughed, "This is gonna be fun!"

With a small smile, Yuki stretched her arms out, "Well, it's nice to see so many familiar faces!"

Sadly, she had read the room all wrong. Kiba began to spout out nonsense about how he would beat everyone there. Before anyone could start picking fights, however, a boy with white hair and glasses walked up to them."Hey, you guys. You might wanna try keeping it down a little." He shoved his hands in his pockets, "I mean, no offense, but you're the ten rookies, right? Fresh out of the academy?" Yuki hadn't really gone to the academy at all, but decided to keep quiet about it. "I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves. Just cool it."

"Well, who asked you?!" Ino yelled, gripping Sasuke and Yuki's arms tightly, "Who are you?"

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. But really, look around you. You've made quite an impression." He was right. All of the other genin stared at them, making Yuki blush deeply. "This exam makes everyone tense, and you don't want to rub them the wrong way right now. You can't help it. I mean, how could you know how things work? You're just rookies. You remind me of myself a while back."

"Kabuto, is that your name?" Sakura finally tore her eyes away from the other test takers, "This isn't the first time you've taken the exam?" 

"No, it's.. my seventh. Well, they're held twice a year. So, this will be my fourth year."

"Wow, a veteran! You must really be an expert by now."

Laughing, Naruto yelled, "Cool! You can give us all the inside tips!" 

Shikamaru didn't look impressed, "Yeah, some expert. He's never passed."

“Well, seventh time's the charm. That's what they say, huh?” Kabuto smiled sheepishly

"So I guess all those rumors about the exam being tough are true." Shikamaru sighed and shook his head, "Oh man, I knew this was gonna be a drag."

"Hang on, don't give up hope yet. Maybe I can help you kids out a little with my ninja info cards." He pulled out a stack of cards from his pouch. "It's hard to explain, but these cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past four years." He knelt to the ground. "I've got more than 200 of them. So you see, I haven't been _completely_ wasting my time. They may not look like much to the naked eye. In fact," he turned one of them over "they appear blank. Don't want just _anyone_ seeing this stuff." As he spun the card on the ground, he activated the card with his chakra. The card showed a map of the candidates' villages and how many from each. He then started to explain politics between the villages. 

"Do those cards of yours have any info on the other candidates, individually?" Sasuke took a step forward, breaking out of Ino's grasp. 

"They might," Kabuto confirmed. "You have someone special in mind?"

"I might." Yuki elbowed Sasuke gently, trying to get him to be nicer.

"I can't promise my information is complete or perfect," He put the card back in its stack, "but I've got something on just about everyone. Including you guys, of course. So, which one is it? Tell me anything you know about them. A description, where they're from, whatever. Anything at all."

"He's Gaara of the desert. And there's Rock Lee of the leaf village while you're at it-"

"-please? If you don't mind." Yuki made sure to at least add the politeness for him.

"Man, that's no fun. You even know their names! That makes it easy." Kabuto pulled out a pair of cards from the stack and held them up. "Here they are." Sasuke demanded to be shown the cards and the boy quickly obliged. "Okay, first up is Rock Lee. Looks like he's about a year older than you guys. Mission experience: 11 c-ranks and 20 d-ranks. His squad leader is Gai. In the last twelve months, his taijutsu has radically improved, but his other skills are pretty shaky. Last year, he got a lot of attention as a genin, but for some reason, he chose not to participate in the chunin exam. This will be his first year as a candidate, same as you guys. His teammates are Tenten and Neji Hyuga."

Moving the first card over, Kabuto activated the second one. "Okay, now for Gaara of the desert. Mission experience: eight c ranks, and, get this; one b-rank as a genin. There's not a lot more information on this guy. He was a rookie from another land, originally, but there _is_ this. He survived every mission without getting a scratch on him."

Everyone began to mutter about how that's possible. _'He's cute_ and _he's strong? That's amazing!'_ Yuki thought with a slight blush. Before much thought could be put into her words, she blurted out, "Do you have one about me?"

"Yes." He pulled out a card and activated it. As he read it aloud, he smirked. "Yuki Howaitorozu of the stars. Mission experience: 1 b-rank and 4 d-ranks-"

"Wait-" Naruto interrupted, "One b-rank?! Did you do a mission without us?!" He pointed an accusatory finger at her.

"What?! No, not at all!" Yuki threw her hands up in defense, "I've done the exact same missions as you guys! They just must have taken that mission from the waves and made it a b-rank instead.." She turned to Kabuto and apologized, asking him to continue.

"Your squad leader is Kakashi, the copy-nin. You're strong in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu, but you never went to the academy. Some of the villagers have nicknamed you 'The Star of the Leaf'. Your teammates are Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno."

_'I have a nickname?'_ she thought, _'that's so cool! I guess I'm more popular than I thought..'_ Out of the corner of her eye, Naruto began to shiver. Sakura tried to confort him, but he just yelled with a smirk at the crowd of students. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna beat every one of you! Believe it!" 


	15. That not many can see

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chunin exams are here! Up first: a Written Exam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys are noticing a pattern in the chapter titles, because that would be nice-

Yuki sat down in her assigned seat, which was at the very back, with a sigh. She wasn't particularly worried when it came to written tests, nor was she worried for Sasuke and Sakura. It was _Naruto_ whom she had to look out for. When she turned to the right, she saw red hair and teal eyes. It was that boy from the hidden sand village. "Hello." She greeted him with a soft smile.

"You're that girl." He replied, turning to narrow his eyes at her. 

She nodded, "Mhmm! You're Gaara, right?" He nodded back. "My name is Yuki. I'm Sasuke's teammate.." With a slight blush on her face, she quickly added: "Good luck."

The exam proctor, Ibiki, tapped a piece of chalk on the chalkboard. "Everyone, eyes front. There are a few rules you need to be aware of. And I won't answer any questions. So you better pay attention the first time around." _'No questions?'_ Yuki and Sakura thought and the former shook her head, _'I just hope I don't_ have _any questions.'_ The exam proctor began to write on the board. "Alright. Rule number one is this: the written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system.Contrary to what some of you may be used to, you all begin the test with a perfect score of 10 points. One point will be deducted for each answer you get wrong. So, if you miss three, your final score will be 7.

"Rule number two. Teams will pass or fail based on the total scores of all members." The students collectively gasped.

Even from the back of the room, Yuki could hear Sakura groan. "What? Wait a second! You're saying we all get scored as a team?" The cyanette had to resist the urge to throw a pencil at her teammate's head. _'That's.._ exactly _what he said.'_

"Silence!" Ibiki commanded, "I have my reasons, so shut up and listen. Rule number three: the sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating. And for every incident they spot, they will subtract two points from the culprit's score. Be warned, their eyes are extremely sharp. And if they catch you five times, you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored" Yuki nodded, _'Alright. Based on a full point system, pass or fail as a team, and don't cheat. Seems easy enough.'_

"Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here," The exam proctor continued, "If you want to be considered shinobi, then show us what exceptional shinobi you can be." The girl at the very back smirked, _'This should be a piece of cake! If Sasuke and Sakura do well, even if Naruto does badly, our points together should be enough!'_

"One more thing." Ibiki's voice tore Yuki away from her thoughts, "If any candidate should get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails." 

"What did he say?" The three good test-takers from team 7 yelled, making Naruto even more uneasy than before. _'Ugh, they're gonna kill me! I mean, Yuki probably won't, but I'll bet she'll be super mad!'_

"The final question won't be given out until 15 minutes before the end of the test taking period. You have one hour total... begin!" Yuki looked down at her paper. Question one, decipher the code. _'Let's leave that one for the end so I have time to look at it.'_ Question two, calculate the trajectory based on the height of a tree, and use the same formula to calculate the trajectory at different points. _'Wait, what? How am I supposed to solve this if I don't know the distance between the target and the three points?!'_ Also predict the farthest range of the shuriken and explain how you arrived at your answer. _'Oh gods above, lend me strength!'_

With a sigh, Yuki shook her head. _'Fine then. Let's start with the code deciphering first. Luckily for me, I do these in my free time.'_ It took her about twenty minutes to decipher it, and another ten to double check her work. Thirty minutes went down the drain and she only answered one of the nine on the sheet. She had to resist the urge to cry. She had no other choice but to cheat. _'I need to get a high score. But I don't want to cheat.. but I can't let the team down! But it goes completely against the rules and my morals..'_ Suddenly, Yuki's eyes went white as a large gust of wind blew through the exam room. 

The genins in front of her watched as their papers flittered around and fell to the floor, answers up. Then, her eyes went back to normal. _'What the-? What happened? Whatever, this is my chance! I've got to look at the paper and memorize at least three of the answers.'_ She stared at the papers through the corner of her eye and looked at the last three answers before the genin finally picked up their papers. _'Okay, that's four down, five to go.'_

 _'I've got to think of another way to do this..'_ Yuki closed her eyes again, wracking her brain for thoughts and ways to cheat. _'I can sense others' presence using their chakra and the moisture around them.. what if I can_ see _what they're doing, using the same method..? It's risky, but I've got to do this.'_ When her eyes opened again, they were blue. She scanned the area using the molecules of water in the area. With a gentle and subtle lift of her hand, she pushed her chakra into the moisture. She was immediately able to see the other's papers. _'Oh, gods, thank you for letting this work!'_ she wrote down the rest of her answers with twenty minutes to spare. 

When her eyes went back to the soft purple they usually are, Yuki looked over to her left. Gaara was almost done. People started getting picked off one by one for cheating, taking their teams with them. Watching them get kicked out was brutal. _'Seems like I wasn't the only one having trouble..'_ As an extra precautionary measure, she put her arms over her completed paper. 

Yuki looked outside to see the buildings in the village, a wave of nostalgia hitting her like a kunai to the heart. Sharp, and precisely where it hurts. The pad of her thumb gently rubbed the black stone of her necklace, calming her homesickness ever so slightly. Sasuke's eyes suddenly appeared in her head, then the rest of him as well. The black, almost blue of his hair; the dark, piercing nonchalantness of his eyes; the subtle hint of pink in his thin lips, and the softness of his skin on hers. Those final two thoughts made Yuki's face burn with embarrassment.

The sound of the exam proctor's voice pulled her back into the room and out of her stupor. "Now that we've weeded out most of the hopeless cases, fifteen minutes to go. Time for the main event. All right, listen up. Here's the tenth and final question." All of the genin left in the room shook ever so slightly in anticipation. "But, before I give you the question, there are some more rules that you need to be aware of.

"These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you." That statement alone made Yuki groan internally. _'I think it's a little too late for that.'_ Ibiki continued. "Very well, then. Rule number one: each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question. It's your decision."

A girl with blond hair spoke up, "Woah, so what's the catch? Let's say we decide we didn't want to do it. What happens then?"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail." He smirked at the class, "And that means, of course, the rest of your teammates fail as well." The remaining genins gasped. "Not so fast. You didn't let me finish." Team seven sighed.

"If you _do_ accept the question, but answer it incorrectly, you will not only fail, you'll be barred from taking the chunin exam ever again!" 

"Hey, that's bull, man!" Kiba yelled at Ibiki, "That's ridiculous, what kind of bogus rule is that? There's lots of people here who've taken the test before!" Akamaru barked from the top of his head.

The exam proctor simply laughed, "I guess you're just unlucky. I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course, if you don't want to take it, you don't have to. If you're not feeling confident, then by all means, skip it. You can come back and try again next year." He ended his statement with a cruel laugh.

_'No way!'_ Yuki pressed her hands against her cheeks, _'If I fail the question, I'll never be able to advance again, and I'll report to the hoshikage a failure.. but if I exempt, I'll still be failing my mission, and not only that, but I'll be risking my teammates as well..'_ She sighed, _'I guess I have no choice.'_

"Now then, if you're ready. The tenth and final question. Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand." A couple of teams raised their hands and walked out.

Naruto slowly raised his hand, making Yuki smile sadly. _'Of course, how selfish of me. My teammates come first, and if they don't want to risk it, I shouldn't make them.. If he's gonna become hokage, he can't be a genin forever. Smart move, Naruto.'_ Then, he did something Yuki would commend him for for the rest of their lives. 

He slammed his palm down on the desk. "Don't underestimate me!" he yelled, "I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want. Your guys aren't going to scare me off! I don't care if I _do_ get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life. I'll still be hokage someday!" He sat back down and crossed his arms.

"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason you would rather quit, now's your last chance." No one in the room moved. "Well the, I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do. And that's fo me to tell you that you've all..

"..passed the first exam."

The entire room was confused. "Hold on! What just happened?" Sakura jumped out of her seat. "What do you mean 'we passed'? Where's the tenth question?"

Ibiki laughed again, "There never was one. Not a written one, at least. Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question!"

"Wait a second!" The other girl from before yelled, too. "So the other nine questions you gave us were just a waste of time, is that what you're saying?"

As he explained the reasons for the test and what being a ninja was about, Yuki grinned. They passed the first exam. "...There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck." Ibiki finished.

"All right!" Naruto yelled, excitement written all over his face, "We did it! That's one down! Yeah!" His lavender-eyed teammate couldn't help but giggle, earning a sideways glance from Gaara.

Suddenly, something broke the window. Startled and alert, Yuki pulled out one of her senbon needles, slammed her right palm on the desk to push herself up in a standing position, and threw it as someone emerged from a bag. She struck a woman's arm and showed the most menacing face any of the students had ever seen. Making sure to throw it hard enough so it pierced skin, but softly enough to not do any real damage, she watched the intruder with sharp eyes. 

"Hey!" The woman yelled, holding her arm. She had spiky purple hair and a tan jacket. "Why did you do that?!" Yuki gasped when she saw the leaf village headband on her forehead and apologized immediately. The only thing the woman could decipher between her crying and bowing was 'I'm so sorry' and 'I thought you were an intruder'. "Alright, that's enough." She held up her hand. "I like you, so I'm gonna let it slide." She turned to the rest of the genin.

"Heads up, boys and girls. This is no time to be celebrating. I'll be your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi! You ready for the second test? Good! Then, let's go! Follow me!" The entire class simply stared at her, making no movement to get up.

"You're early again." Ibiki remarked bitterly, making the rest of them laugh. 

"How many are there?" Anko scanned the room, "Ibiki, you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy. You must be getting soft."

"Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year."

"Hm. They sure don't look it. Trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated."


	16. But can't you wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special report: live, from the forest of death!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the filler, but the next chapter is gonna be pretty long, so I didn't want to keep you guys waiting!
> 
> This chapter will highlight Yuki's opinion on the team and show a bit more SasuYu!

"Woah, nice place. W-what is it?" Naruto stuttered out. A fence stood ominously in front of a forest, the genin reading the "KEEP OUT" sign with frightened expressions. 

"This is the location for the second phase of the exam," Anko spoke, one hand on her hip. "It's the 44th battle training zone, but we call it the forest of death." The wind blew though the ninja's hair, sending a harsh chill through Yuki. 

"The forest of death?" Naruto looked astonished, but then looked to his side. A box that was supposed to be disguised as rocks sat next to him. Sakura, Sasuke, and Yuki watched from behind as the blond ran, the box shuffling closely behind. As the Konohamaru ninja squad jumped out, the cyanette started thinking up ways to make it up to their new exam instructor. She still felt bad about throwing such a dangerous weapon at her, so she decided she should do something to apologize.

 _'Hm.. maybe I could make something for her? I wonder what she likes..'_ She gave a subtle glance at Sasuke, _'I wonder what he likes..'_ Feeling a gaze on him, the onyx eyed boy looked over at his staring teammate, causing their eyes to meet. Yuki quickly turned away and a pink tint on her cheeks. "What do you want?" Sasuke grunted.

Looking over again, Yuki decided to be honest. "Well, I've been thinking about making food for Anko-sensei, as an apology." She started to rub the stone on her necklace anxiously, "And I started wondering about what to make. Do you have any ideas?" Their exam proctor announced something about a ten minute break, so they both sat down on the grass. "Like, what do _you_ like?"

Sasuke looked pensive, "Onigiri." He stated, but shook his head. "You should ask her what she likes, though. It doesn't matter what I like." She nodded in response and stood. 

"You're right, but now I know what your favorite food is!" The girl winked and ran towards the exam proctor. Sasuke simply smirked. Yuki gently tugged on Anko's jacket. 

She looked down at the younger kunoichi and crossed her arms. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"Oh, well, I wanted to apologize for hurting you earlier, so.. I thought maybe I could make something for you?" The purple haired ninja raised a brow, "What's your favorite food?"

The woman had never looked happier in her life. "You want to make me food? Well, if you really want to, my favorite is dango." Yuki nodded and grinned, walking back to where she sat with Sasuke. But before she could get to her destination, she was met with the faces of Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon.

"You're Yuki Howaitorozu, right?" Moegi looked up at her, eyes sparkling.

"That's right." Yuki's eyes lit up with a realization, "Oh, you're from the academy, right? You're doing the article about the chunin exams!"

Konohamaru smirked, "That's right! We wanted to ask you a couple of questions about your team. We tried asking the others, but they all seemed kind of biased."

With a laugh, the genin scratched her cheek nervously, "Yeah, that sounds like them.. So, you want to know about the team?" Udon nodded. "Well, let's start with Naruto Uzumaki..

"He's loyal, kind to his friends, brave, and funny." Yuki giggled at the last part. Sasuke stood silently, leaning on a tree nearby and listening to their conversation. "A lot of people don't seem to like him, which is strange. He's strong, too! And, although some of his jutsus may be.. s-strange-" She remembered his sexy and harem jutsu, "He's very good at them, and he never gives up!

"Sakura Haruno is the smartest kunoichi I know! She has really pretty hair, and can be nice when she wants to be. She's also very strong, but she tends to fight with others a lot." She thought of Ino and Naruto, "She's cautious, and she's good at keeping Naruto in line.

"Sasuke Uchiha is one of the strongest genin I have ever had the pleasure of encountering, He's smart, cunning, strong, and he's good at protecting his teammates.." Yuki thought back to the time he jumped in front of the demon brothers in order to protect her, "And he's caring, too. No matter how much he doesn't want to admit it.." She looked down at her pendant and rubbed the onyx stone. "But even he can mess up. I'm sure Sakura probably told you that he's invincible, and Naruto told you he's a loser. But there was a mission where we seriously thought he died! You should have seen Naruto, he was so mad, he beat up an assassin!" She giggled, making Udon blush. "We were all so worried, but he turned out fine.. But, there are also people stronger than him. There will always be people stronger than us, and I think he just needs to see that in order to truly become great..-" she glanced over at the kids, who eyed her suspiciously.

"Hey, are you two dating or something?" Konohamaru asked

"W-what?!" Yuki squeaked, her entire face lighting up in embarrassment, "No! Of course not!" Naruto and Sakura walked up to the group. Sasuke wasn't the only one listening in.

"Yeah, that's right!" He laughed, "Yuki would never fall for a loser like that! Besides, what makes you think that?"

Moegi giggled, "Well, Sasuke said that he and Yuki will be the only ones to pass!"

"I never said that." Sasuke grumbled, "I said she might, not that she will."

Sakura jumped in on the opportunity, "Yeah, Sasuke's mine!"

"Well anyways," Konohamaru gave them a thumbs up, "Knock 'em dead on the chunin exams, boss!"

"Don't worry, guys!" Naruto replicated the gesture, "We'll make it!" The children walked away, signaling the end of the interview. 


End file.
